"Zombies, Gamblers, and Mostly Employed"

The plan is to provide an overview of current economic conditions, give an outlook, and discuss the disconnect between financial markets and the broader economy. For the outlook - we will be providing a summary of national outlooks and dive deeper into our regional outlook, paying special attention to the assumptions behind the numbers.

Hart Hodges is Director of Western's Center for Economic and Business Research. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1994 from the University of Washington. While at the University of Washington, Hart received awards for both undergraduate and graduate teaching instruction. He taught economics from 1993-1995 at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and then served as the natural resource damage assessment economist for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Hart also spent several years working with an economic consulting firm in Alaska. He joined the faculty at Western in the Fall of 2000. His research interests include natural resource and environmental economics, health economics, and applied business economics. Hart is currently managing several research projects and public service efforts with an emphasis on economic development. Hart received a Dean's Research Award in 2009. Hart is active in various community groups as part of his responsibilities as the Director of the Center for Economic and Business Research.

James McCafferty is Director of Western's Center for Economic and Business Research.  In this role he seeks to broaden the connections between the University, the College of Business and Economics and the real world – businesses, non-profits and government agencies – through student internships, classroom based projects and consultative projects drawing on faculty, staff and students.

James brings a unique perspective and critical tools to problems faced by organizations today based on professional and community service experience at local, regional, and national levels. He blends the best approaches from the for-profit, non-profit, government, and individual sectors to create unique blended responses that are effective, efficient, and practical while also maintaining long-term sustainability.