Justin Roush
Justin Roush is an Associate Professor of Economics at Xavier University’s Williams College of Business and the founding Program Director of Xavier’s Master of Science in Water Utilities Management, known as MS H2O. The program is the nation’s first master’s degree specifically focused on water utilities management and was created to equip current and future water professionals with the leadership, management, business, and analytical skills needed to navigate the increasingly complex challenges facing the water sector.
Roush brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the water industry, combining his background in economics with a deep interest in environmental issues, sustainability, risk, and public policy. Through his work at Xavier, he operates at the intersection of academia and practice, helping connect emerging water utility leaders with the economic tools, analytical rigor, professional networks, and industry knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about one of the most essential and consequential sectors of the 21st century.
As Director of MS H2O, Roush has been instrumental in designing and developing a graduate program specifically tailored to the needs of today’s water utility professionals. The program focuses on the management and leadership challenges unique to water utilities while providing students with a broader understanding of the economic, operational, financial, regulatory, and strategic forces shaping the industry. His work reflects a recognition that the future of water depends not only on engineering and technological innovation, but also on strong leadership, sound economic decision-making, effective management, and the ability to understand and communicate the value of water infrastructure.
Roush’s research spans environmental economics, behavioral economics, and public economics, with his recent work increasingly focused on the economic dimensions of water utility risk. His interests include insurance, risk mitigation, and consumer preferences surrounding water. He is particularly interested in understanding how economic incentives, risk, and human behavior influence decisions related to water and infrastructure. His broader research background includes work examining risk-taking, insurance, and social preferences from a behavioral economics perspective, as well as research into the environmental decisions of firms, including emissions decisions.
In addition to his leadership of MS H2O, Roush serves as Director of Xavier University’s Economics, Sustainability, and Society (ECOS) Program. The ECOS program prepares students for careers in corporate, nonprofit, and public-sector sustainability by bringing together economics, environmental issues, policy, and practical business applications. As director, Roush advises students, develops enrichment and networking opportunities, and maintains relationships with the business community. The program prepares students to contribute to data management and reporting, economic decision-making, cost-benefit analysis, and sustainability operations while developing a strong understanding of environmental issues and policy.
Roush joined Xavier University in 2019 as an Assistant Professor of Economics and became an Associate Professor in 2026. Prior to Xavier, he served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at Georgia College from 2015 to 2019 and as a Visiting Instructor of Economics at Centre College. His academic career began at the University of Tennessee, where he served as both a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Graduate Research Assistant. As a teaching assistant, he taught Intermediate Microeconomics and Principles of Economics, while his research work included projects with the National Defense Business Institute and research conducted under Dr. Marianne Wannamaker.
Roush earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville in 2015, with fields of specialization in Environmental Economics, Public Economics, and Experimental Economics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from Centre College in 2010.
Throughout his career, Roush has focused on using economics to better understand complex real-world challenges. His work in water represents a natural extension of that approach: water utilities face decisions involving infrastructure investment, financial sustainability, risk management, public policy, consumer behavior, and long-term resource planning. By bringing economic analysis and business leadership into conversations about water, Roush works to help utilities and the professionals who lead them better understand the risks and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
His work through MS H2O also reflects a broader commitment to building bridges between higher education and the water sector. Rather than preparing students solely for academic careers, the program is designed around the realities of the water profession and the needs of the people responsible for managing critical water systems. Through education, industry engagement, and professional networking, Roush is helping develop a new generation of leaders equipped to address the economic, organizational, and sustainability challenges facing water utilities.
Roush’s combination of economics expertise, academic leadership, sustainability experience, and commitment to the water sector positions him at an important intersection of water, economics, infrastructure, leadership, and public policy. His work is helping advance the conversation around how water utilities can better manage risk, make strategic investments, build organizational capacity, and prepare for the challenges of the future.
