As the newly named executive director of the LSU Center for Energy Studies, Upton speaks frequently about energy issues of concern to Louisianans and often testifies before state and national legislative committees. He also promotes and shares the work of the LSU Center for Energy Studies in news media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Politico. He holds three economics degrees, including a Ph.D., from LSU.
Personal motto:
“The harder you work, the luckier you get.”
I’d like to have dinner with:
Paul Samuelson, to discuss the proper role of academic economists in engaging policymakers, and Milton Friedman, to discuss how to be an effective communicator of economic concepts to non-economists.
Advice to my younger self:
Life is a dynamic stochastic optimization problem (please excuse the economics jargon). Work hard, but also be strategic. Be willing to change course.
Cause or charity I’m passionate about
The St. Elizabeth Foundation. My wife and I have adopted three children through St. Elizabeth.
Meet the rest of Business Report’s 2024 Forty Under 40.
