Friday, March 24, 2023
8:00am - Noon
East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts
Powell Auditorium
The Inaugural Appalachian Highlands Economic Forum was presented by the College of Business and Technology and the Department of Economics and Finance.
The forum is a chance for stakeholders vested in economic development from across the region – including business, government, and citizens – to come together to discuss the future of the region. The event is free, but registration is required.
The program will cover topics such as: Housing Market, Inflation, Forecasting Interest Rates, financial literacy in the community, and a national economic outlook.
Keynote speaker Mark Vitner, Chief Economist of Piedmont Crescent Capital and former senior Economist at Wells Fargo Bank, will discuss the national economic environment as it pertains to the region.
National Economic Overview
Mark Vitner
Founder, Piedmont Crescent Capital
Mark Vitner recently founded Piedmont Crescent Capital, after spending the past 30 years at Wells Fargo’s Corporate and Investment Bank, where he was managing director and senior economist. At his new firm, Vitner writes numerous economic reports and provides analysis of local economies and residential and commercial real estate.
Originally from Atlanta, Vitner earned a BBA in economics from the University of Georgia and an MBA from the University of Florida. He is a member of the National Association of Business Economics and its inaugural Certified Business Economist program. He chaired the Economic Advisory Council for the California Chamber of Commerce for three years and currently serves on the Joint Board of Economists for the Commonwealth of Virginia. His commentary has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and many other publications, and he makes frequent guest appearances on CNBC and other major networks.
| Presentation | Video |
State of the Local Economy
Dr. Jon L. Smith
Professor of Economics
Dr. Jon L. Smith is Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and Finance at East Tennessee State University and Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
Dr. Smith attended Mississippi State University where he received a BS in Business
Administration. Dr. Smith was awarded an MA from the University of South Carolina
in 1975. He received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1982. Dr.
Smith has taught at ETSU since 1980.
| Presentation | Video |
Projection on Interest Rates
Dr. William Trainor
Professor of Economics
William J. Trainor is a Professor of Finance in the Department of Economics and Finance at East Tennessee State University. Dr. Trainor received his Ph.D. in Finance from Virginia Tech in 1994 and has been with ETSU since 2006. He has also been a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder since 2002.
Trainor has published extensively in journals such as Financial Review, Journal of Index Investing, Journal of Personal Finance, Journal of Financial Planning, Journal of Investing, Atlantic Economic Journal, and Financial Services Review among others. He has received both ETSU’s School of Business and Technology’s Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding New Faculty and the Faculty Excellence Award for Scholarship. Dr. Trainor teaches Investments, Applied Equity Valuation in which students manage a TVA investment portfolio. Last year the team received congressional recognition for their performance in the activity.
| Presentation | Video |
Financial Literacy in the Community
Dr. Anca Traian
Assistant Professor of Finance, Martha Butler Rector Faculty Fellow
Anca Traian, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance at ETSU, where she teaches finance courses such as Corporate Finance, Bank Management, and Credit Management. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Middle Tennessee State University, her M.S. in Finance from Golden Gate University, and her MBA from Eastern New Mexico University. Dr. Traian worked in the banking industry as a loan review and credit analyst, and she completed a non-degree program at the Graduate School of Banking in Colorado.
Her research interests lie in the area of financial economics, ranging from how people make financial decisions to alternative financial services and financial literacy.
| Presentation | Video |
Housing Market & Real Estate Outlook
Dr. Joseph Newhard
Associate Professor of Economics
Joseph holds B.A.s in Economics and Political Science from Ohio State University and a M.A. in Economics from Bowling Green State University. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Economics from Clemson University.
Joseph worked in Greenwich, Connecticut as a research associate for CNH Partners, an affiliate of AQR Capital Management, throughout the final three years of graduate school. Prior to coming to ETSU he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Private Enterprise Research Center at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on interest groups and economic regulation.
| Presentation | Video |
In Conversation
Dean Tony Pittarese, Scott Andrew, Assoc. Professor Jill Hayter
Enjoy a conversation between Dr. Tony Pittarese, Dean of the College of Business & Technology at ETSU, Mark Andrew, serial entrepreneur, and Dr. Jill Hayter, Associate Professor of Economics at ETSU.
| Video |
For More Information, Contact:
Taylor Stevenson
Chair, Department of Economics & Finance, ETSU
Parking and Traffic:
ETSU Martin Center event parking is located at the Millennium Center parking garage behind the Carnegie Hotel on levels 3, 4, 5, and 6. The address for this garage is: 2001 Millennium Place, Johnson City, TN 37604. Parking is FREE for this event.
ADA-accessible parking and drop-off is located adjacent to the Martin Center in Lot 55, accessible via Harris Drive West, behind the Bank of Tennessee building. A shuttle will be available to transport patrons from the ADA-accessible parking to the security checkpoint at the front.
ADA-accessible spots are also located in the Millennium Center garage. There is an elevator in the garage. The walkway from the garage to the Martin Center is covered.
Please do not park in business lots located near the Martin Center. Those are privately owned spaces, and your vehicle may be subject to towing.
Google Map Directions: