Recap: 2025 Fall Conference
Thank you to everyone who attended the 78th annual AUBER Fall Conference, “The New Geography of U.S. Growth,” held Oct. 4-7, 2025, in Missoula, MT!
Conference Program (PDF) • Presentations (Folder) • Photo Album (Folder)
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2025 AUBER Award Recipients
- AUBER Award of Excellence in Electronic Publications – “2025 Utah Economic Report to the Governor” – Kem C. Gardner Institute, University of Utah
- AUBER Award of Excellence in Print Publications – “Making Action Possible (MAP) Dashboard Annual Report 2025” – Economic and Business Research Center, University of Arizona
- AUBER Award of Excellence in Websites – “Utah Informed: Visual Intellection for 2025” – Kem C. Gardner Institute, University of Utah
- Paul Polzin Prize for Best Paper – “The Impact of SSA Field Office Closures on Disability Program Participants” – Caroline Welter, Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University
- R. Thayne Robson Award – Carl Bonham, Director, The Economic Research Organization (UHERO), University of Hawai’i
- Fellow of AUBER Award – Rajeev Dhawan, Director, Economic Forecasting Center, Georgia State University
- Honorary Members – Patrick Barkey, Shannon Furniss, and Paul Polzin; Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of Montana
- Guest Participants – Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni –
- Adhan Sheikh Abdullahi, Kenya (Kenya Sugar Board)
- Blessing Bamidele, Nigeria (Tech4Dev – Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative)
- Ryan Nicholas Fester, South Africa (Western Cape Economic Development Partnership)
- Gerald Katabazi, Uganda (Volcano Coffee Limited)
- Lebogang Manson, Botswana (Conservation International)
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Keynote Speakers
- David E. Altig, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Adviser, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
- Edward L. Glaeser, PhD, the Fred & Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, Harvard University
- Michael V. Russo, PhD, Professor Emerit of Sustainable Management, Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon
- Abigail Wozniak, PhD, Vice President and Director of the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Workshop Instructors
- Sarah Quintanar, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Data Analytics and Statistics, University of North Texas
- Marc Schaffer, PhD, Principal Economist, Breakthrough Fuel
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Thank you to those who made the 2025 AUBER Fall Conference possible:
- Diamond Sponsor – Institute for Economic Forecasting, University of Central Florida
- Silver Sponsors – IMPLAN • REMI
- Supporters – College of Business, University of Montana • Haas Center, University of West Florida
- Host Center – Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of Montana
Missoula 2025 AUBER Fall Conference Planning Committee
- Vanessa Fry, Boise State Univ. – AUBER President-Elect and Conference Planning Chair
- Pat Barkey, Univ. of Montana – Conference Host Team
- Shannon Furniss, Univ. of Montana – Conference Host Team
- Lisa Goodpaster, Ball State Univ. – AUBER Business Team
- Jennifer Green, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama – AUBER President
- Michael Hicks, Ball State Univ. – AUBER Secretary-Treasurer
- Brian Lewandowski – AUBER Past President (Univ. of Colorado Boulder)
- Victoria Meldrum, Ball State Univ. – AUBER Business Team
- Jeffrey Michael, Univ. of Montana – Conference Host Team
- Rod Motamedi, Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst – Conference Host 2026
- Sarah Quintanar, Univ. of North Texas – Workshop Instructor
- Marc Schaffer, Breakthrough Fuel – AUBER Vice President and Workshop Instructor
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Recognition of AUBER Service
Outgoing AUBER Leadership
- President 2024-2025 – Jennifer Green, Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama
- Board of Directors –
- Nicole Gislason, Haas Center, University of West Florida
- Jenny H. Liu, Northwest Economic Research Center, Portland State University
- Raymond Sfeir, A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research, Chapman University
Incoming AUBER Leadership
- President-Elect (Special Election) – Rod Motamedi, Donahue Institute – Economic and Public Policy Research, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Vice President (Presidential Track) – Nicole Gislason, Haas Center, University of West Florida
- Board of Directors –
- Jenny H. Liu, Northwest Economic Research Center, Portland State University
- Amir B. Ferreira Neto, Regional Economic Research Institute, Florida Gulf Coast University
- Christian Raschke, Gibson D. Lewis Center for Business and Economic Development, Sam Houston State University
View the current AUBER board of directors and executive officers »
October 30, 2025