TAWNI HUNT FERRARINI is the Robert W. Plaster Professor of Economic Education at the Lindenwood University's Hammond Institute. She specializes in expanding the reach of sound economic education regionally, nationally, and internationally. Through her teaching experiences, research, and service, positive attention continues to be drawn to the important role of responsible and accountable individuals in society. Ferrarini specializes in technologically-enhanced instruction and has contributed to the redesign of Junior Achievement USA in celebration of its 100th anniversary, has published numerous articles, and is the co-author of three books. Find Tawni Hunt Ferrarini on ResearchGate. ​

 

Tawni Hunt Ferrarini serves as a faculty scholar for the Fraser Institute (Canada), Council on Economic Education (Japan), and Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan). Her reputation as a dynamic speaker on economic topics brings her around the globe. She is widely known for exciting various audiences about how sound economic reasoning can help them take firm steps toward living personally rewarding lives. Accolades include the 2024 Presidential Scholar-Teacher Award at Lindenwood University, 2020 National Association of Economic Educator's Patricia Elder International Award, 2016 Upper Peninsula Economic Development Alliance Nonprofit Award, 2012 Council on Economic Education’s Albert Beekhuis Center Award, 2010 Michigan Council on Economic Education Educator’s Award, 2009 NAEE Abbejean Kehler Technology Award (inaugural recipient), and a distinguished faculty member at NMU in 2009. In 2015, she was called into leadership service and carried out her responsibilities as the president of the National Association of Economic Educators.

 

From 1998 - 2018, she called Northern Michigan University home, where she served as the only endowed chair as the Sam. M. Cohodas professor. Co-authored books include: Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity (2016, St. Martin’s Press), Economic Episodes in American History (2019, Wohl Publishing), and Teachers Can Be Financially Fit (Springer, 2020). Common Sense Economics has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, Myanmar, and Nepali. The second edition has been published in Turkish and Thai. Peer-reviewed articles also appear in academic and education journals. Tawni earned her doctorate from Washington University, where she studied under the 1993 Nobel laureate Douglass C. North. She has a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.