Leonard-Allen Quaye
Assistant Professor of Economics
Email: leoallen@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2895
Office: McKenna Hall 224
Education: BS, University of Ghana, Legon, 2017; MS, University of Georgia, 2020; PhD, Virginia Tech, 2025. At SPU since 2025.
Leonard-Allen Quaye, PhD, is an applied economist who loves exploring the real-world factors that shape the choices people make. He earned his doctorate in agricultural and applied economics from Virginia Tech, where he studied what drives food commodity prices, looking at everything from climate patterns to transportation costs like barge rates on the Mississippi River. His research uses time series data and econometric models to make sense of complex economic issues that affect everyday life.
Before that, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Georgia, building a strong foundation in data analysis and analytics. He continues to use those skills in his work, with a focus on Applied Econometrics, Development Economics, and the economics behind food prices.
In his teaching, he works to make economics approachable and meaningful, helping students see how economic ideas connect to their daily lives, from how they spend their time and money to how global events affect the prices they see at the store. He enjoys mentoring students and sharing his passion for understanding the world through an economic lens.
Outside of work, he loves being outdoors, hiking, traveling, driving, and playing sports. His curiosity about the world around him often inspires both his teaching and his research.