Hales received bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology from Brigham Young University and Middle Tennessee State University, respectively. After earning his doctorate in rural sociology from Iowa State University in 2000, he spent six years on the faculty at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, during which time he coordinated the master's program in community development and directed the Center for Economic and Community Development and the Center for Business and Entrepreneurial Research.
From 2006 to 2012, he was an associate professor in the University of Southern Mississippi's Department of Economic and Workforce Development, which he chaired for two years. He also directed the department's Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education and coordinated the master's degree program in economic development.
While at Southern Mississippi, Hales created an award-winning entrepreneurship training program aimed at teaching high school students how to start and operate their own small businesses. The program subsequently was implemented in all high schools across Mississippi, and more than 5,000 students have participated. In addition, the program has been adapted for use in several other countries and by university students, displaced workers and others.
In 2012, Hales moved to the University of Minnesota, where he has served as associate dean for the Center for Community Vitality; director of the Economic Development Administration University Center at the University of Minnesota Crookston; a member of the graduate faculty at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs; and senior associate dean and chief financial officer for the University of Minnesota Extension.
Hales has won numerous awards and honors for his work, and he is a member of several professional organizations, including the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals, the International Economic Development Council, the International Association of Community Development and the Rural Sociological Association.
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