Association for University
Business and Economic Research

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Sean Snaith, Ph.D., is the Director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness and a nationally recognized economist in the field of business and economic forecasting. Snaith is the recipient of multiple awards for the accuracy of his forecasts, his research and his teaching.  View full bio here.

Patrick Barkey has served as Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research since 2008. He has been involved with economic forecasting and policy research for more than 30 years in both the private and public sectors. Before coming to Montana, he served as Director of the Bureau of Business Research at Ball State University in Indiana for 14 years.   View full bio here.

John Deskins serves as Assistant Dean for Outreach and Engagement, Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and as Associate Professor of Economics in the College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He leads the Bureau’s efforts to provide rigorous economic analysis and macroeconomic forecasting to leaders across the state.  View full bio here.

Ben Blair serves as Director of the Butler Center for Business and Economic Research at the Turner College of Business. He joined the college after a career in teaching and research at Mississippi State University. He has been successful in teaching and conducting academic as well as contract research.  He also holds the Sarah T. Butler chair. View full bio here.

Mervin Jebaraj is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. Jebaraj earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations and a Master of Public Administration in public policy from the University of Arkansas. He was previously the assistant director at the center, where he has worked since 2007.

James McCafferty serves as co-director for Western Washington University’s Center for Economic and Business Research. He seeks to broaden the connections between the university, the College of Business and Economics, and the community through student internships, classroom-based projects, and consultative projects. James has an MBA from Western Washington University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism/Public Relations from University of Oregon.

Ben McKay is the Assistant Director of Research at the Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research and has led numerous research projects throughout Georgia. These projects include economic impact analysis, market research, survey research, data analysis, strategic planning, and community needs assessments.  View full bio here.

As deputy director and CIO of the Indiana Business Research Center, Carol Rogers directs its information systems and services, overseeing the development of websites, publications, training, research projects and other services. She sits on the boards of the national Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the Indiana Geographic Information Council, and serves as the Governor’s Census Liaison. View full bio here.

Juliette is the director of economic and public policy research at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, specializing in Utah’s economy, economic forecasting and modeling, fiscal policy analysis, and economic impact studies. Tennert holds a master’s degree in economics from UNLV and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Chicago and has been honored as one of Utah Business Magazine’s annual “30 Women to Watch.”