Elected from our membership, the AUBER Board of Directors and Officers guide the growth of the organization and participate on several committees during their service. Position changes occur at the conclusion of the annual fall conference. To be considered for future board positions, contact 2023-24 President Brian Lewandowski.
Association for University
Business and Economic Research
A national association of regional
economic research centers
Leadership
AUBER Officers
BRIAN LEWANDOWSKI
University of Colorado, Boulder
Brian is Associate Director of the Business Research Division at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder. Brian provides regional business and economic information and education, including economic and revenue forecasts, policy studies, economic impact analyses, and data workshops. Brian has 13 years’ experience conducting economic studies at CU Boulder. Prior to CU, he worked in both the private sector and government. He is currently the President of the Denver Association of Business Economists.
JENNIFER GREEN
Jacksonville State University
Jennifer is Director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research where she has worked for 10 years. She is responsible for leading the center’s community and economic development activities and outreach to 11 counties in Jacksonville State University’s regional footprint. She is also responsible for cultivating grants and contracts to fund economic development research opportunities.
VANESSA FRY
Boise State University
Vanessa is director of the Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) at Boise State University and an associate research professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. She holds a BA in Biology and Fine Art from Wittenberg University in Ohio, an MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School, and a PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Boise State. Fry has served on the AUBER board since October 2021.
MICHAEL J. HICKS
Ball State University
Mike is the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Economics and director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University. He previously served on the faculty of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management and at research centers at Marshall University and the University of Tennessee. Hicks earned doctoral and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Virginia Military Institute. He is a retired Army reserve infantryman having served in combat and peacekeeping operations in North Africa, Southwest Asia, Korea and Japan. Full bio.
University of Utah
AUBER Board Members
PATRICK BARKEY
University of Montana
Pat has served as director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana since 2008. He has been involved with economic forecasting and policy research for more than 40 years, in both the private and public sectors. He has authored studies on energy development, tourism, labor markets, tax policy and international trade. Prior to his role in Montana he was Director of the Bureau of Business Research at Ball State University in Indiana for fourteen years. Barkey has served in various AUBER leadership roles, including ten years as secretary-treasurer and two years as AUBER president. Full bio.
RAJEEV DHAWAN
Georgia State University
Dr. Dhawan wears a dual hat as the Zwerner Chair of Economic Forecasting and as Director of the Economic Forecasting Center at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. As director of one of the country’s premiere forecasting centers, Dhawan develops forecasts for the U.S., Southeast regional and local metro Atlanta economies. These forecasts are regularly published and presented to business executives and the media at the Center’s popular, well-respected quarterly forecasting conferences. Full bio.
NICOLE GISLASON
University of West Florida
Nicole is Executive Director of the University of West Florida Haas Center, part of UWF’s Division of Academic Affairs. She is Vice Chair of Florida’s Great Northwest and a Trustee with the Florida Chamber Foundation. She serves on the board of the Northwest Florida Manufacturers’ Council, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Pensacola and Pensacola IMPACT 100. Her previous work includes a public-private partnership between Florida’s manufacturing sector, the State, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Full bio.
MONICA HAYNES
University of Minnesota Duluth
Monica serves as the director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at University of Minnesota Duluth. Haynes has been the director of the BBER for nine years. She also serves as an adjunct faculty in LSBE’s economics department, as chair of Labovitz School of Business and Economics’ Outreach Committee, and on the Duluth Workforce Development Board. She earned a Master of Science in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and a B.A. in Political Science and Statistics from the University of Minnesota Morris. In her spare time, she enjoys running, biking, cooking, and reading.
ROD MOTAMEDI
Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst
Rod is assistant director of the Economic and Public Policy Research group (EPPR) of the UMass Donahue Institute. At EPPR, Mr. Motamedi oversees 20 full-time staff who focus on demographics, economic and policy impact analysis, economic development and regional competitiveness, housing, and industry footprint studies. Prior to joining the Donahue Institute in 2015, Mr. Motamedi was senior economic associate at Regional Economic Models, Inc. where, for over seven years, he led client training and support, business development, and consulting efforts. Mr. Motamedi received his MBA from University of Massachusetts Amherst with a focus in business analytics and a bachelor’s of arts in economics also from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
MANUEL REYES-LOYA
University of Texas at Tyler
Manuel joined the Hibbs Institute for Business and Economic Research at University of Texas at Tyler in 2018 as Senior Research Analyst. He previously worked for the Mexican Secretary of Economy, the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at University of Texas at El Paso, the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University, the Center for Economic Development and Research at University of North Texas, and the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at University of Texas at El Paso. Manuel earned a PhD in Economic Development (specializing in public finance) from New Mexico State University and is currently pursuing a MS in Health Sciences at University of Texas at Tyler. Manuel also holds a BBA in International Business and an MBA from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Chihuahua, and MS in Economics from the University of Texas at El Paso.
MARC SCHAFFER
St. Norbert College
Marc is director of the Center for Business & Economic Analysis (CBEA) at St. Norbert College. As director of the CBEA, he regularly gives presentations to the regional business community on the state of the economy and frequently appears in local media to provide commentary on current economic events. Marc’s primary research area is focused on monetary and financial economics with an emphasis on the behavior of financial institutions, about which he has published several articles in journals including Managerial Finance and Applied Economics. Full bio.
RAYMOND SFEIR
Chapman University
Dr. Sfeir is the Director of the A. Gary Anderson Center for Economic Research and Professor of Economics at Chapman University. He served for 18 years as Associate Provost and then as Vice Chancellor. Dr. Sfeir teaches microeconomics, statistics and forecasting. His research interests include operations research, capital asset pricing models and applied economics. Sfeir produces the California, Orange County and Inland Empire forecasts. Dr. Sfeir has a PhD in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Full bio.
