James H. Hammill

College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, October 16, 2014

James H. Hammill received a bachelor’s degree (1957) and a master’s degree (1959) in agricultural economics from the Department of Applied Economics in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Soon after his retirement from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in 1992, Hammill began assisting and fundraising as a volunteer staff member for the Minnesota Council on Economic Education (MCEE), a center based within the Department of Applied Economics. He served on the Board of Directors of MCEE until his retirement from the Board in 2012. The impact he has had on MCEE, K-12 education, and personal finance education in Minnesota is described as immense. Hammill is credited with contributing to the success of MCEE, which resulted in the professional development training of 6,070 teachers, who have reached 584,500 students, during the past ten years alone. He chaired the Development Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, and the MCEE’s 50th Anniversary Planning Committee. In addition, Hammill has established or helped to establish two scholarship funds within the Department of Applied Economics that support K-12 teachers in pursuing graduate education in economics at the University. He has generously provided multiple gifts to other University units including the Golden Gopher Fund, Weisman Art Museum, and the CLA Honors Scholarship. Hammill and his wife are members of the University’s Presidents Club.