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Session 7 A View from the Fed
Presentations
Speakers
Nariman Behravesh
IHS Global Insight
Dr. Nariman Behravesh is Chief Economist and Executive Vice President for Global Insight (formerly DRI-WEFA). Directing Global Insight's entire forecasting process, he is responsible for developing the economic outlook and risk analysis for the United States, Europe, Japan, and emerging markets. He oversees the work of over 200 professionals, located in North America and Europe, who cover economic, financial, and political developments in over 180 countries.
Behravesh and his team were designated #1 in USA Today's 2004 ranking of top economic forecasters, and in Reuters' 2004 survey of major currency exchange rate forecasters. In The Wall Street Journal's annual ranking of US forecasters, Behravesh was the only forecaster to place in the top six for both 2003 and 2004.
As Global Insight's chief spokesperson, Behravesh is quoted extensively in the media on such topics as the outlook for the US and global economies, oil prices, exchange rates, the budget deficit, the trade deficit, globalization, country risk, and emerging markets crises. He is cited frequently in leading business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, USA Today, Investor's Business Daily, Business Week, Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes and U.S. News and World Report. He also regularly appears on national radio and television programs including BBC World Business Report, NBC Nightly News, CNN Headline News, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (PBS), Your World with Neil Cavuto (Fox News), CNBC's Closing Bell, Bloomberg TV's World Financial Report, and All Things Considered on National Public Radio.
Behravesh was the host of the PBS television series "Inside the Global Economy." He has authored numerous articles in such publications as European Affairs and Credit Week, co-authored two books– Economics U$A and Microcomputers, Corporate Planning and Decision Support Systems–and was a contributing author to a recent book on scenario analysis, entitled Learning From the Future.
Before joining Global Insight, Behravesh was chief international economist for Standard & Poor's. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of Oxford Economics U.S.A., Inc. He also spent ten years at the WEFA Group, where he held a number of positions, including group senior vice president. Early in his career Behravesh worked at the Congressional Budget Office and the Federal Reserve.
Behravesh holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has lived in Europe and the Middle East, and is fluent in several languages. He travels extensively to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Jeffrey Lacker
Federal reserve Bank of Richmond
Dr. Lacker took office August 1, 2004, as the seventh chief executive of the Fifth District Federal Reserve Bank, at Richmond. He is currently serving a full term that began March 1, 2006. In 2009, he serves as a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee.
Dr. Lacker was born September 27, 1955, in Lexington, Kentucky. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Franklin and Marshall College in 1977. Following graduation, Dr. Lacker joined Wharton Econometrics in Philadelphia. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1984. Dr. Lacker was an assistant professor of economics at the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University from 1984 to 1989. He joined the Bank in 1989 as an economist in the banking area of the Research Department. He was named research officer in 1994, vice president in 1996, and senior vice president and director of the Research Department in May 1999.
Dr. Lacker is the author of numerous articles in professional journals on monetary, financial, and payment economics, and has presented his work at several universities and central banks. He taught at The College of William and Mary in 1992 and 1993, and in 1997 he was a visiting scholar at the Swiss National Bank.
Dr. Lacker is a member of the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School Advisory Council, and he serves as director for the board of the Richmond Jewish Foundation. He is also a member of the Junior Achievement of Central Virginia Advisory Board and is director of the World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond.