Kutztown Area School District Education Foundation Announces 2026 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, Dr. John J. Siegfried, PhD., KAHS Class of 1963
The Kutztown Area School District Education Foundation Board of Directors announced the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus of the year, Dr. John J. Siegfried, PhD. John is an American economist and Emeritus Professor of Economics at Vanderbilt University. He was raised on what is now Rodale Farm in Maxatawny Township and although his work has taken him around the world, he still has a special affinity for Kutztown.
Dr. Siegfried is a 1963 graduate of Kutztown Area High School, where he was the Class President. He received a BS in Economics from Rensselaer Polytechnic in 1967, an MA in Economics from Penn State in 1969, and a PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1972. From 1972 until receiving his emeritus status in 2010, Dr. Siegfried was an economics professor at Vanderbilt University, chairing the department from 1980 until 1986. During this tenure, he also lectured in law and served as an adjunct professor in management. He also served as a visiting professor at Simon Fraser University, the University of Leeds and the University of Adelaide.
Dr. Siegfried has worked with the Federal Trade Commission, the US President’s Council of Economic Advisers, the National Waterways Council, the National Science Foundation, and the Committee on Economic Educators of the American Economic Association which he chaired from 1988 to 1993. John also served as President of the Southern and Midwest Economic Associations, as President of the Society of Economic Educators, and as a director on the boards of the National Bureau of Economic Research and the National Council on Economic Education. He also sits on six editorial boards.
Dr. Siegfried is the author or co-author of numerous books and professional journal articles and is cited as being in the top 2 percent of the world’s leading education economists in terms of research output.
Dr. Siegfried will be honored at the Annual Foundation Reception to be held at Setter Ridge Vineyards on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, from 5pm to 7pm. Dr. Siegfried will deliver the commencement address to the Kutztown Area High School graduating class of 2026.