Roundtable: COVID-19 – What Does Your State’s Rebound Look Like?- Thursday, August 13, 3PM EST
Watch the full roundtable session here.
View Rod Motamedi’s (Massachusetts) Powerpoint presentation here.
View Eric Thompson’s (Nebraska) Powerpoint presentation here.
View Vanessa Fry’s (Idaho) Powerpoint presentation here.
View Mervin Jebaraj’s (Arkansas) Powerpoint presentation here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had very different impacts on regions across the U.S. Our roundtable featured economists from Nebraska, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Idaho who discussed their states’ economic progress during the pandemic and shared their stories. Regional patterns of economic recovery were the focus, including the relationship between economic structure and job loss.
When: Thursday, August 13 at 3 p.m. EST
Featured Speakers: Rod Motamedi, Senior Research Manager, University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute; Eric Thompson, Director, Bureau of Business Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Mervin Jebaraj, Director, Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Arkansas; and Vanessa Fry, Research Director, Idaho Policy Institute, Boise State University.
Moderator: Jeffry Michael, Executive Director of the Center for Business and Policy Research in the Eberhardt School of Business and Professor of Public Policy in the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific.
About Rod Motamedi
Rod Motamedi is a Senior Research Manager at the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute where he specializes in economic and policy impact analyses, economic development and regional competitiveness assessments, and industry footprint studies. Prior to joining the Donahue Institute, Mr. Motamedi was a senior economic associate at Regional Economic Models, Inc. where he led client training and support, business development, and consulting projects. His recent projects include ongoing work on the social and economic impacts of the introduction of casinos in Massachusetts, labor supply gaps on Cape Cod, and the effects of pandemic shutdowns on the early childhood care sector.
About Eric Thompson
Eric C. Thompson is the Karl H. Nelson Associate Professor of Economics and the director of the Bureau of Business Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Thompson’s research examines the sources and consequences of state and local economic growth and the economics of infrastructure. Through his work at the Bureau, Thompson provides economists with practical opportunities to conduct applied economic research and trains economics and business students to conduct applied research on timely economic and business topics.
About Mervin Jebaraj
Mervin Jebaraj is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research. He is an exceptional source of business and economics-related expertise that journalists and business people alike rely on to understand how national and regional issues impact Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas as a whole. He makes presentations that share the center’s expertise directly to over 5,000 individuals annually and tens of thousands more hear and see his economic analysis and commentary through TV, radio, and print media.
About Vanessa Fry
Vanessa Fry is Interim Director and Assistant Research Professor at the Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) at Boise State University. Vanessa’s career has focused on utilizing multi-sector, evidenced-based solutions to address persistent social, environmental, and economic issues. At IPI Vanessa leads projects focusing on issues including education, transportation, housing and homelessness.
About Jeffrey Michael
Dr. Jeffrey Michael is Executive Director of the Center for Business and Policy Research in the Eberhardt School of Business and Professor of Public Policy in the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific. The Center produces analysis and forecasts on a variety of current business and public policy issues impacting California and the Northern California Mega-region. Since joining Pacific in 2008, Jeff has been a principal investigator on $4 million in grant and contract funding from a variety of public, private, and non-profit sources to support the Center’s applied research and community outreach programs. View his full bio here.
About Patrick Barkey
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. Barkey is AUBER’s 2019-2020 president. View his full bio here.