Wagner joins Moody College of Business as Acadiana Business Economist

Dr. Gary Wagner has been named the University of Louisiana at Lafayette B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration Acadiana Business Economist/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Economics. In this role, he will monitor the regional economic environment, conduct research and analysis, and disseminate results with the business community.

“Dr. Wagner will provide research, forecasting and outlook reporting on the regional economy and our diverse industry sectors,” said Dr. J. Bret Becton, dean of the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration. “He will also collaborate with partners on regional and statewide initiatives including the Louisiana Workforce Commission Employment Occupational Forecast to project short-term and long-term job growth and develop information on the needs of current, new and emerging industries.”

Dr. Wagner is an economic researcher and advisor with interests ranging from regional economics to state and local public finance issues, with a particular focus on state rainy day funds, municipal borrowing costs, and public pension plans. Wagner has authored or coauthored more than 40 professional articles and reports on a variety of state and local policy issues and has delivered more than 200 public and non-academic presentations over his career. He is a respondent in the Survey of Professional Forecasters, the oldest quarterly survey of national economic forecasters in the United States.

“One of my first objectives is to develop a detailed economic forecasting model for the Lafayette metro area. Not only will this provide businesses and elected officials with relevant and timely information to help guide their strategies, it will also enhance our understanding of the interrelationships between our region’s diverse economic sectors and how changes in various national, state, and local policies might affect us,” said Dr. Gary Wagner.

Prior to joining the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Dr. Wagner was Vice-President & Senior Regional Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland (2016-18) and Regional Economic Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (2015-16) where he conducted research on emerging regional economic issues. He was Professor of Economics at Old Dominion University (2011-15) and University of Arkansas-Little Rock (2008-11), Associate Professor of Economics at University of Arkansas-Little Rock (2006-08), Associate Professor of Government at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (2005-06), and Assistant Professor of Economics at Duquesne University (2001-05) and University of Arkansas-Little Rock (2000-01).

While a professor of economics at Old Dominion University, Dr. Wagner served as Associate Director of the Economic Forecasting Project and Co-Editor for the State of the Region Report. He has served as a member of the Arkansas Governor’s Council on Economic Advisors and is a past recipient of Duquesne University School of Business Distinguished Research Award and Public Finance Review’s Outstanding Paper Award.

Wagner earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree in economics from West Virginia University and his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from Youngstown State University.

Capital One, Hancock Whitney, Home Bank, IBERIABANK, JP Morgan Chase, Louisiana Board of Regents, MidSouth Bank, and University of Louisiana Federal Credit Union provided funding for the Acadiana Business Economist/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Economics.