Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D., is the Dean of the Prairie View A&M University College of Agriculture and Human Sciences and Director of Land Grant Programs. In his role, he is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the college’s academics, research, and extension mission areas. As dean, D’Souza has led the college into a period of growth marked by the addition of new facilities, increased enrollment, and new degree programs. Under his leadership, the college developed an ambitious strategic plan encompassing doubling student enrollment in five years and expanding the college’s academic offerings on both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He played a crucial role in development of the Healthy Houston Initiative by Prairie View A&M University, a partnership with PVAMU, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Complete Communities Initiative, and the Texas A&M University System. Additionally, he is responsible for building partnerships with several national and international organizations, helping to strengthen the impact of the work done in the college.  Before joining PVAMU, D’Souza served as professor and director of the Division of Resource Economics and Management at West Virginia University. He served as a Fulbright Scholar in Paraguay, visiting scholar in Costa Rica, and at the Wallace Institute, Greenbelt, Maryland. He held sabbatical appointments in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. He has served as an investigator on grants totaling more than $5 million and over 150 scholarly works. D’Souza has co-authored five books, four book chapters and reviews, and more than 30 journal articles. He is also an avid mentor to students, providing academic guidance to hundreds of students throughout his career.  

D’Souza is the recipient of numerous teaching, research, and service awards and recognitions, including the Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Service award, and the Outstanding Teaching Award from the West Virginia University Division of Resource Management.  

D’Souza earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India. He received his Master of Science and doctoral degrees in Agricultural Economics from Mississippi State University.