2019 REMI D.C. Annual Policy Conference

SPEAKERS

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  Scott Nystrom

  FTI Consulting

  Scott Nystrom is a Director at FTI Consulting in the McLean, VA office. Mr. Nystrom is in the Network Industry Strategies (“NIS”) practice within the Economic Consulting segment. He is an expert on regional modeling and applying it to policy analysis, economic impact analysis, and energy modeling. For the past seven years, Mr. Nystrom has conducted economic, climate, energy, fiscal, and demographic impact studies for federal agencies, regional planners, state and local governments, academic institutions, think tanks, nonprofits, associations, utilities, and major corporations. His areas of research have included energy and the environment, infrastructure, healthcare, economic development, project analysis, labor markets, and fiscal policy at the state and federal levels.

• JF

  Jeff Ferry

  Coalition for a Prosperous America

  Jeff Ferry is Chief Economist at the Coalition for a Prosperous America, responsible for building CPA’s resources of original research and analysis regarding trade and industrial policies to re-establish America’s prosperity and world-leading economic growth. Jeff is an experienced economist, financial and technology journalist, technology executive, and author. His first book, The British Renaissance (Hutchinson, 1994) focused on the strategies and culture of six world-class British companies that emerged from the Thatcher era in Britain. As a journalist, he wrote for the Washington Post, Forbes Magazine, and Bloomberg News and produced documentaries on business for the BBC and other British television broadcasters.

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  Susan Steward

  Delaware Office of the State Treasurer

  Susan Steward , M.S. is a policy advisor to the State Treasurer of Delaware providing analytical and technical support for several state-wide initiatives. As a policy advisor, Ms. Steward has contributed to the liquidity analysis and restructure of Delaware’s investment architecture for their $1.6 billion investment portfolio, and analysis of the State’s internal banking structure. Her current work includes being a member of a non-partisan panel for the creation of a new state budget model that focuses on counter-cyclical fiscal policy to decrease volatility, stabilize appropriations, and improve revenue growth. Ms. Steward received her Master’s in Economics and Applied Econometrics from University of Delaware, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Salisbury University. Prior to working for the State Treasurer, Ms. Steward was the Senior Economist at the Regional Economic Studies Institute of Towson University providing methodologies for studies on shale drilling, tax credits, minimum wage, and paid sick leave along with regional economic forecasts.

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  Ken Voytek

  National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

  Kenneth Voytek is the Chief Economist and Manager of the Program Evaluation and Economic Research Group with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He has previously held senior research positions at the Urban Institute, the Michigan Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Alliance of Business, and Goodwill Industries International. His work has appeared in several academic journals, as well as in multiple books and book chapters. Mr. Voytek earned his B.A. in Economics (with honors) from St. Edward’s University and an M.A. from West Virginia University. He is currently working on earning his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration.

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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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  Igor Linkov, Ph.D.

  U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center

  Dr. Igor Linkov is the Risk and Decision Science Focus Area Lead with the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center. He is an Adjunct Professor of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University and Professor of Practice in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Linkov has managed multiple risk assessments and risk management projects in the areas of environmental management, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, climate change, and systems vulnerability. He is currently developing resilience assessment and management approaches for infrastructure and cyber systems. As a one of the leaders of the USACE Resilience PDT, he is working on developing the USACE Resilience Roadmap and is part of several Interagency Committees and Working Groups tasked with developing resilience metrics and resilience management approaches. He has published widely on environmental policy, environmental modeling, and risk analysis, including fourteen books and over 250 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. Dr. Linkov is Society for Risk Analysis Fellow and recipient of 2005 Chauncey Starr Award for exceptional contribution to Risk Analysis and 2014 Outstanding Practitioner Award.

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  Harsh Desai

  Nuclear Energy Institute

  Harsh Desai currently serves as a Manager at the Nuclear Energy Institute, overseeing financial modeling, economic impacts, data analytics, and business strategy. He is also a key member of a small team that provides internal consulting on policy development, business planning and execution, and external affairs management. In his previous role at the Department of Energy, he was an Advisor to the Technology to Market Director, focused on commercializing clean energy technologies through innovative programs and partnerships between the National Labs and private industry. Mr. Desai’s past roles include Staff to the General Manager & Directors of the Naval Nuclear Laboratory (previously known as Knolls and Bettis Atomic Power Labs), Legislative Advisor to a senior U.S. Senator, Senior Nuclear Engineer at Knolls Atomic Power Lab, and Nuclear Engineer at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Mr. Desai has an MBA from New York University’s Stern Business School, along with B.S. & M.S. degrees in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina State University. He enjoys going on adventures, such as chasing tornadoes, being an avid photographer, traveling, and brewing beer.

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  Frederick Treyz, Ph.D.

  REMI

  Frederick R. Treyz , Ph.D., is the Chief Economist and CEO of Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI), a leading provider of dynamic economic policy analysis models. He is an authority on regional macroeconomic modeling research and application. Under Dr. Treyz’s leadership, REMI has remained at the forefront of regional modeling, and informs public policy debates through the use of REMI models to evaluate economic development, transportation, energy, taxation, and other topics. The company’s clients include federal, state, and regional agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, leading national associations, universities, and consultants. Dr. Treyz oversees the research and development of the REMI model. He publishes in leading journals; this year he authored the paper “Immigration and United States Economic Growth,” in Business Economics, the journal of the National Association for Business Economics. 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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  Peter Evangelakis, Ph.D.

  REMI

  Peter Evangelakis , Ph.D., is a Senior Economist at REMI. Since joining REMI in September 2017, he has assisted clients in planning and conducting economic analysis using the REMI model, contributed to the firm’s business development efforts, and prepared and presented in-person and online seminars on topics such as Amazon HQ 2.0 and innovation in transportation. Dr. Evangelakis is based at REMI’s Washington D.C. office. Prior to starting at REMI, Dr. Evangelakis taught undergraduate Intermediate Microeconomics as a lecturer at the University of Chicago. He is an experienced economic researcher and analyst; highlights of his work include measuring the effects of climate change on mortality and electricity usage and estimating air quality effects of the NOx Budget Program. Dr. Evangelakis has written papers analyzing the effects of Florida property tax reform and the non-pecuniary benefits of building a professional sports stadium. He also served as an intern at The Washington Economics Group, Inc., and The Human Services Coalition of Miami-Dade County. Dr. Evangelakis holds Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Economics from University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Mathematics from Swarthmore College.