Roundtable Chairs Named as Groups Prepare for Busy Year

By TK Swift
NABE Board Member and Roundtable Coordinator
Chief Economist & Managing Director
American Chemistry Council

Regardless of industry differences, NABE members share the common bond of employing the discipline of economics to both the private and public sectors. Beyond this commonality and our professionalism, members have varied interests, including corporate strategy, economic theory, shaping opinion on critical economic and financial issues, public policy analysis and development, forecasting, and advising management in business. Many members have an entrepreneurial bent.

Roundtables are an important part of NABE, providing a means of connecting these varied communities of professionals that come together around issues of common concern. They’re founded on mutual interest, built through action and engagement, and strengthened from relationships and interactions.

In September, the Board of Directors approved a change to the NABE by-laws concerning the Roundtables. This replaced the election process with giving the NABE president the ability to select and appoint Roundtable chairs. The board also felt that concentrating responsibility in one Roundtable chair (as opposed to a group of officers) should improve efficiency and accountability. NABE President Lynn Reaser has selected and appointed Roundtable chairs. We have a full complement of leaders:

Please join us in congratulating these Roundtable chairs.  The Roundtable chairs in turn were given the ability to assemble their own teams of vice chairs and officers. They are doing this right now and we plan to recognize all involved with the success of our Roundtables in the December issue of NABE News.

Roundtables promote discussion among its members and foster the exchange of information, analysis, and insight through periodic teleconferences (or conference calls) featuring top world economists and policymakers. Teleconferences are usually one of several types: 1) outlook-oriented; 2) issue-oriented; and 3) professional development-oriented.  The NABE Board has set a goal of four teleconferences per year. A number of these are “in the works” for the 4th quarter and we hope to announce these soon. We are also examining new technologies/platforms for these teleconferences.

For the Washington Policy Conference and the Annual Meeting, the Roundtables are typically asked to sponsor/develop a session or two. A request to Roundtable chairs for proposals on a session (topic and potential speakers) for the 2010 Washington Policy Conference, set for March 7-9, has been made. We look forward to filling out the agenda for this conference.

Members may have noted the Real Estate/Construction Roundtable, a new Roundtable approved by the board in September, and led by Ken Simonson, chief economist at Associated General Contractors of America. He hit the ground running, assembling a team, and will have developed a session for the Washington Policy Conference and a fourth quarter teleconference by the time you read this. Teleconferences are free to Roundtable members, with a nominal charge for non-Roundtable NABE members and for nonmembers of NABE. The first Real Estate/Construction Roundtable teleconference will be open and free to all NABE members. And NABE members will be able to switch their Roundtable affiliation to this new Roundtable. 

A proposal has been developed for a Transfer Pricing Roundtable. The board will examine this in an upcoming meeting. We hope to report on this soon in NABE News.

Roundtables cover an area of common professional interest sufficiently broad to attract active participation from within NABE membership. Each Roundtable provides a means of networking among its members. With the revamping of the NABE website, we also plan to further enhance the presence of our Roundtables.

Roundtables provide a great opportunity to get involved in NABE, to enjoy networking opportunities with colleagues in the field of economics as well as opportunities to hear or meet world-class experts. Roundtable chairs are always looking for ideas on teleconferences or sessions. If you have an idea (a subject you would like to know more about or issue/problem solved), please drop them a note. Perhaps you want to get more involved in NABE and have never volunteered. Roundtables represent a great opportunity to get involved in NABE, and I would encourage each and every one to get involved and make your area of interest – your Roundtable—a success as we finish 2009 and enter 2010.

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