OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY TO HOLD ECONOMIC OUTLOOK CONFERENCE 2008
Experts to Examine Factors Affecting the Economy at Feb. 28 Event
From the housing market meltdown and the credit crunch, to the rise in fuel costs and the decline of the dollar, our economy appears to be on shaky ground. So will it find its footing in 2008, or continue to stumble?
A panel of experts will examine the fiscal forecast at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Economic Outlook Conference 2008. The conference will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Benes Rooms of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave. The event is free and open to the public. It also will be available via a live Web stream at http://stream.owu.edu.
Participating on this year’s panel are Owen F. Humpage, senior economic adviser for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland; Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., vice president of economic analysis for the Columbus Chamber; and Dale W. Larson, Ph.D., assistant professor at the American University School of International Service and principal consultant for Larson Global Consulting, Inc.
The annual Economic Outlook Conference is co-sponsored by Ohio Wesleyan’s Department of Economics and its Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship. During the conference, each panelist will speak for approximately 15 minutes and then respond to questions and comments from the audience. Robert Gitter, Ph.D., professor of economics and coordinator of the conference, will serve as its moderator.
About the panelists:
- Owen Humpage specializes in international economics and works in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. His recent research has focused on central-bank interventions in exchange markets, dollarization in Latin America, and the sustainability of current-account deficits. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Dayton, master’s degree in economics from Miami University, and doctorate in economics from Case Western Reserve University.
- Bill LaFayette analyzes and interprets economic and demographic trends for Columbus Chamber staff, civic leaders, and the Greater Columbus community. He then helps to determine the implications of those trends for the Chamber’s business advocacy and workforce development efforts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting and an M.B.A. in investment management, both from Wright State University. He earned his doctorate in real estate economics from The Ohio State University. His articles have appeared in The Appraisal Journal and The Journal of Urban Economics.
- Dale Larson serves as professorial lecturer in economics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, in addition to his roles at American University and at Larson Global Consulting. During his career, he has worked as a consultant for the World Bank, the Mitsubishi Research Institute, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, concentrating on Iraq, Indonesia, Panama, Tunisia, and Yemen. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, and his master’s degree in economics and doctorate in international economics, both from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
