Mason Cavell

Born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia, Mason received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing Management from Virginia Tech in 2004.  Inspired by a semester abroad in Switzerland, Mason sought out further opportunities for discovery and learning.  Following graduation, he moved to Seattle, WA where he acquired a variety of skills working on boats and organizing popular weekly sailboat races on the Puget Sound.  In 2007, he became a co-founder and organizer for Bike the US for MS, a fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis that has raised nearly $50,000 from two bicycle trips across the country. Following his first cross country bicycling endeavor, Mason spent a year in Nelson, New Zealand working as a boat builder, traveling, and in his spare time playing midfielder on the regional soccer team.

Upon returning to the U.S., Mason was employed by the Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech where he worked on a variety of projects including acquiring data for GIS mapping on a federal worker’s housing and transportation study and preparing questionnaires for a residential green building study. His life experiences and interest in entrepreneurship, the environment, and policy led him to the decision to pursue a career in economic and environmental planning.  Mason entered the Master’s degree program in Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Tech and began working for the Office of Economic Development in fall 2009.

Mel Jones

Mel began pursuit of a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning in Spring 2009, and later joined OED in May. With interests in international development and affairs, Mel traveled extensively to China, India, Turkey, and Cyprus prior to entering graduate school.  She also spent time studying in Tehran, Iran. 

A native of Kentucky and South Carolina, Mel earned a B.S. in Economics and B.A. in International Service in 2008 from American University. 

Eftila Tanellari

Eftila was born in Korce, Albania.  After graduating from high school she moved to Greece where she earned an Associate Degree in Agricultural Business from Dimitris Perrotis College of Agricultural Studies.  Eftila then moved to the U.S. and attended the University of Arkansas where she graduated with a Bachelor degree in Agricultural Management.  During her undergraduate studies she played volleyball for the University of Arkansas for three years earning several athletic and academic awards.

In 2002, Eftila enrolled in the Agricultural and Applied Economics program at Virginia Tech to pursue a Master’s degree.  Her thesis was titled “The economic impact of investment in the food processing industry in US rural counties: the case of Scott County, Virginia”.

Eftila is currently a PhD. student in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Her research interests include non-market valuation with particular interest in stated and revealed preference methods and consumer behavior.  She has also taught several courses in the Economics and Agricultural and Applied Economics departments.  Eftila joined the Office of Economic Development in the spring of 2009.

For more information on how Virginia Tech can help to improve the performance of your organization, contact:

Virginia Tech
Office of Economic Development
702 University City Blvd. (Mail Code 0373)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone (540) 231-5278
Fax (540) 231-8850
E-mail econdev@vt.edu