2026 Users’ Conference

Speakers

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  Fred Treyz, Ph.D.

  Chief Economist & CEO

  REMI

  Frederick R. Treyz, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Economist at Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), a leading provider of dynamic economic and demographic modeling software and consulting. He is an authority on analyzing public policies and their regional macroeconomic and population impacts. Under Dr. Treyz’s leadership, REMI has shaped public policy debates by helping clients evaluate economic development, transportation, energy, immigration reform, and other topics. The company’s clients include federal, state, and regional agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, leading national associations, universities, and consultants who seek to analyze the implications of public policy. Dr. Treyz oversees the research and development of REMI’s suite of regional policy models, and has academic publications in leading journals. Currently, he is coordinating development of Generative AI approaches to enhance REMI’s regional economic policy analysis models. He holds an A.B. in Economics from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

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  Parrish Ballard

  Economist Alaska Department of Revenue

  As a graduate of Wake Forest University with dual bachelor’s degrees in economics and French, I am passionate about using data analysis as a tool to explore complex issues and develop informed conclusions to decision makers. As an economist with the Economic Research Group, my role has focused on macroeconomic modeling to understand and communicate the economic impacts of specific policy changes and investment opportunities on the Alaskan economy and its regional populations. With its unique geography, climate, size, culture, and access to natural resources, the Alaskan economy stands alone with its opportunities and challenges, all of which has contributed to the stimulating nature of my work

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  Sharon Ju, Ph.D.

  Senior Modeler/Data Analyst

  Houston-Galveston Area Council

  Sharon Ju, Ph.D., is Senior Modeler/Data Analyst at Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). She leads transportation project benefit cost analysis, transportation planning scenario creation and survey scope development. Sharon has provided technical assistance to numerous transportation planning studies and projects. Sharon’s REMI experience went back to year 1999 when she worked on regional social economic and land use modeling. Sharon graduated with a Ph.D. in Economics from University of Houston. She is proud of her dissertation work that used Dun & Bradstreet data to estimate the agglomeration forces among industries for Houston region. During her long career at H-GAC, she worked on regional demographic forecast modeling, travel demand model applications and recently VisionEval transportation planning tool development. Sharon’s hobbies include cooking, gardening and watching detective movies.

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  Scott Nystrom

  Director of Research and Analytics Climate Leadership Council

  Scott Nystrom is the director, policy and research for the Climate Leadership Council. In this capacity, he provides oversight and guidance to research initiatives and policy development across all major focus areas of the organization. He leads the Council’s quantitative modeling of economic impacts, energy markets, international trade, and fiscal policy. Mr. Nystrom comes to the Council after a five-year software career and seven-year consulting career. In these roles, Mr. Nystrom conducted studies related to climate policy, demographics, economic development, the energy sector, fiscal policy, healthcare policy, international trade, labor relations, scope emissions, and transportation. Prior to the Council, Mr. Nystrom worked for FTI Consulting. He was the co-lead and lead economist of its impacts and policy analysis practice. Prior to FTI Consulting, Mr. Nystrom worked for Regional Economic Models, Inc. (“REMI”). He holds a B.A. in History, B.S. in Economics, and M.A. in Economic History from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

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  Dan Stickel

  Chief Economist

  Alaska Department of Revenue

  Mr. Stickel grew up in Alaska and graduated from the University of Alaska with a degree in business management. He has been with the Department of Revenue since 2004, first as an economist, then as a petroleum economist and Assistant Chief Economist. Much of his work has been focused on forecasting and analysis related to the oil and gas industry, and the oil and gas fiscal system. He has served as the Chief Economist for the department since 2016. He enjoys spending time outside enjoying the amazing natural beauty of Alaska and spending time with family and his growing collection of dogs.

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  Robert Carey, Ph.D.

  Lecturer

  Clemson University

  Dr. Rob Carey is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Clemson University and the director of the Regional Economic Analysis Laboratory (CU-REAL). He received a Master of Arts in Economics and a Ph.D. in Policy Studies, with a concentration in economic development, both from Clemson. Prior to coming to Clemson in 2005, he taught economics at Anderson University and Tri-County Technical College. He has conducted economic impact analyses of multiple colleges and universities, including Clemson, Lander, and the Citadel. He has also conducted fiscal projections for several South Carolina counties and school districts and numerous impact analyses for private and nonprofit sector clients.

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  Indraneel Kumar, Ph.D.

  Director for the Purdue Center for Regional Development

  Indraneel Kumar is the Director for the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD). Indraneel has been at PCRD since its inception in 2005. He focuses on regional demographics, economic and workforce analysis, identification of new sources of data, GIS databases, spatial analysis, and quantitative methods. He received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering in Nagpur, India in 1994. During his master’s in urban and regional planning from the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT University) in Ahmedabad, India, he was the recipient of the Vastushilpa Foundation Award for Excellence (gold medal) for his thesis in 1997. Indraneel earned a second master’s degree in community planning with a specialization in environmental planning from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating with the Professional Promise award in 2003. In 2014, he earned a Ph.D. in civil engineering with a major in transportation and infrastructure systems from the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University. Indraneel has been a member of the American Planning Association and American Institute of Certified Planners since 2006. In his 20 years of professional and applied research experience, Indraneel has worked on comprehensive planning for large metropolitan areas, regions, and counties (districts) in India and the USA, with a concentration on land use, transportation, and regional economic analysis. He has participated in several regional economic development research projects funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA); Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); Office of Economic Adjustment, Department of Defense (DOD); Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP); and Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Other state agencies include the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). He is an adjunct faculty member at the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, since 2018 and participates in teaching graduate courses related to urban and regional economics and transportation systems evaluation. Indraneel has an interdisciplinary research interest in regional economic development and competitiveness, transportation and infrastructure systems, and renewable energy.

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  Jim Robey, Ph.D.

  Robey Analytics, LLC

  Jim Robey, Ph.D. is Principal of Robey Analytics, LLC, a professional consulting firm specializing in economic development, workforce development, and site selection services. Jim is an applied economist, economic developer, and site selection consultant with over 30 years of experience. He has worked with corporate, nonprofit, and economic and workforce development organizations in problem-solving, strategy, and policy decision-making from the local to the national levels. His expertise includes industry studies, applied occupational analysis, economic impact analysis, economic impact modeling, economic and workforce development research and analysis, and site selection assistance. Prior experience includes directing regional research initiatives, economic development, and site selection at both nonprofit and for-profit entities. Mr. Robey earned his Ph.D. in Urban Studies, with an emphasis in Economic Development, and his Master’s degree in Public Administration from Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs.