2019 Great Lakes Policy Analysis Conference

SPEAKERS

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  Jim Robey, Ph.D.

  W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

  Jim Robey ’s research and technical assistance on economic issues and in economic and workforce development has assisted corporate, nonprofit, and economic and workforce development entities in problem resolution and strategic decision making, from the local to the national levels. Spanning more than three decades, his expertise includes industry studies, applied occupational analysis, economic impact modeling and analysis, economic and workforce development research and analysis, and site selection assistance. Robey’s research focuses on regional economic, education, economic development, and workforce development issues across Michigan and the nation. He prepares annual employment forecasts for southwest Michigan’s metropolitan areas, directs the production of Business Outlook for West Michigan, and provides economic insights for regional economic development across northwest Ohio, and the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. He has additionally coauthored research on a variety of national and regional issues. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Studies (1997), with an emphasis on Economic Development, and his Master’s degree in Public Administration (1993) from the Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology (1979) from Edinboro State College. Prior to joining Upjohn, Robey was an Associate Vice President with Southwest Michigan First in Kalamazoo, MI, where he directed local economic development efforts in Marshall, MI. Prior to working in Kalamazoo, Robey was Managing Director at Mohr Partners, Inc., where he focused on site selection and economic and workforce development strategies, and was Vice President of Research at TeamNEO, where he oversaw and developed economic research across 16 northeast Ohio counties.

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  Gabriel Ehrlich, Ph.D.

  University of Michigan

  Dr. Gabriel M. Ehrlich received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan. He is the director of the University’s Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics (RSQE). His research focuses on several areas of housing and land economics as well as the effects of wage rigidity on labor market outcomes. His work has been discussed in The Economist magazine and The Washington Post, and his recent article, Economic Effects of Medicaid Expansion in Michigan, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. His article, Metropolitan Land Values, is forthcoming in the Review of Economics and Statistics. Prior to joining RSQE, Dr. Ehrlich worked in the Financial Analysis Division at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), where he forecast interest rates and conducted analysis on monetary policy and the mortgage finance system. He has also worked as a financial analyst in the mortgage banking industry. He earned his undergraduate degrees in finance and economics at the University of Maryland, where he was chosen by the faculty as the outstanding graduate in finance during his senior year. Dr. Ehrlich testifies twice per year to the state legislature on Michigan’s fiscal and economic prospects, which the state uses as a guide to determining expected future revenues. He is a coauthor recently of The Michigan Economic Outlook for 2018–2019.

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  Bernard Swiecki

  Center for Automotive Research

  Bernard Swiecki serves as Director of the Automotive Communities Partnership (ACP) at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), as well as Assistant Director of CAR’s Industry, Labor, and Economics (ILE) group. He joined CAR in 1994. Mr. Swiecki manages research projects studying a wide breadth of automotive industry structure and technology topics. He manages CAR’s analysis of vehicle market and production data. He has also led trade missions to China, Italy, India, and Russia. Mr. Swiecki has authored numerous articles for print publications, as well as a monthly column, on the automotive industry. He regularly presents at conferences and industry events around the world, as well as providing interviews to local, national, and global media. Mr. Swiecki is a member of the Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA). He has served on the U.S. Department of Commerce Eastern Michigan District Export Council. He received his BA from the University of Michigan in 1998 and his MS from Eastern Michigan University in 2003.

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  Billy Leung

  REMI

  Billy Leung is the Senior Vice President of REMI, where he plays a leading role in U.S. and international consulting and support services. He has worked with government agencies and organizations throughout North America and the world, helping them achieve their planning and policy analysis goals. As part of REMI’s global services, Mr. Leung has worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Korea Energy Economics Institute. In addition to his international efforts, Mr. Leung has assisted state and regional agencies, including Southern California Association of Governments. He has supported their long-term transportation and environmental planning initiatives. Mr. Leung joined REMI in 2002 and was promoted to Vice President in 2009. Over the years, he has contributed to the development of the REMI model and performed economic impact studies. He has analyzed the economic impact of the biodiesel industry in New York State for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and researched the economic impact of widening New Mexico’s US 54 for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and received his M.A. in Regional Economics and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. His master’s thesis was on the research and development of incorporating transportation and land use with Input/Output economic modeling.

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  Keith Waters, Ph.D.

  REMI

  Keith Waters , Ph.D. is an Economist at REMI. Dr. Waters has experience researching regional economic development, analyzing the geographic allocation of economic activity, and incorporating geography into an agent-based model to study firm formation’s linkages with inter-regional migration and the spatial distribution of labor within a country. Prior to joining REMI, Dr. Waters worked with organizations such as the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments, the U.S. Economics and Statistics Administration, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration compiling research and data for reports on geography, economic and community development, and economic impact studies. Since completing his education, Dr. Waters has been a teaching assistant and lecturer, speaking on subjects related to public policy, GIS and spatial analysis, regional economic development, and statistics. He has taught courses on several software packages and programming languages, including STATA, SAS, Python R, ArcGIS, GeoDa, and Pajek. Dr. Waters earned his Ph.D. in Public Policy at George Mason University after receiving his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Geography and bachelor’s degrees in Economics, Geography, and Mathematics from Western Michigan University.

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  Harry Walsh

  REMI

  Harry Walsh is an Economic Associate at REMI, responsible for client support and business development. Since joining REMI in May 2017, Mr. Walsh has assisted with model calibrations for clients and software quality assurance. He has also contributed to REMI’s outward facing efforts, including the development of the company’s new website and preparing seminar presentations incorporating the REMI model. Prior to REMI, he worked as an intern at the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, where he delivered daily briefings to a representative and researched a bond bill in debate. While at UMass Amherst, Mr. Walsh was an elected leader of the Undergraduate Economics Club, and served as editor-in-chief for the Massachusetts Undergraduate Journal of Economics. Mr. Walsh graduated from UMass Amherst with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.