The State of the Economy
Thursday, April 20, 2023 | 12 p.m. Central
Live Online via Zoom
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The McCoy Conversations series offers topical webinars for the business community to bridge academic and industry perspectives. Join us Thursday, April 20, at 12 p.m. for "The State of the Economy." Conversation topics may include the labor market, economic growth, fiscal and monetary policy, inflation, and financial market indicators. This free event is open to the public.
Panelists
Dr. Andrew Ojede
Associate Professor, Economics
McCoy College of Business, Texas State University
Dr. Andrew Ojede teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in macroeconomics, international economics, and money and banking. His research interests focus on the intersection between macroeconomics and international economics, regional economic analysis and growth, and productivity analysis and international development.
Dr. Ojede also consults with international organizations, including the United Nations, and Non-Profit Organizations and Foundations in the United States. He was recently appointed to provide an expert opinion report in an ongoing arbitration case between a company and a government at the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Laila Assanie
Senior Business Economist
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Laila Assanie is a senior business economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. As a member of the Research Department’s regional group, she conducts research on regional economic issues, produces articles for various bank publications and contributes to the Dallas Fed’s website. Her other responsibilities include briefing the Bank’s president on regional economic conditions, coordinating the production of various economic updates and indicators for the Dallas Fed website and writing the Eleventh District Beige Book — the Bank’s survey of regional economic conditions. Assanie holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University and a masters in economics and finance from the London School of Economics.
Dr. Emmanuel Alanis
Associate Professor, Finance
McCoy College of Business, Texas State University
Dr. Emmanuel Alanis is an assistant professor of finance in the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University. His research interests include credit risk prediction and how it is priced in loan contracts, the impact of debt on corporate investment, and machine learning applications in finance. He has received numerous awards including the McCoy College Achievement Award for Research and the Presidential Distinction Award for Excellence in Service. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
Ellen Zentner
Chief U.S. Economist
Morgan Stanley
Ellen Zentner is Chief U.S. Economist at Morgan Stanley, a Managing Director, and a member of its Research Diversity and Inclusion Council. She joined the firm in 2013 from Nomura Securities International. From 2003 to 2011, Zentner worked for Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ as its Senior U.S. Economist. Before joining BTMU, she worked for five years in the Revenue Estimating Division at the Texas State Comptroller on a range of economic development and impact studies, including monitoring the fairness of the tax system in the state. Ellen currently serves on the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC), as well as the Economic Advisory Panel for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the American Bankers’ Association. She is a former member of the Academic Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, past Chair of SIFMA’s Economic Advisory Roundtable, Director of the National Association for Business Economics as well as the NABE Foundation, and is a past president of NABE’s New York chapter (NYABE). Zentner is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Trustee of the Graduate Center Foundation of the City University of New York (CUNY). In 2018 and 2020, her team received the Lawrence R. Klein Award for the most accurate economic forecasts over the past four years. Zentner holds a B.B.A. and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado Denver.
Moderator
Dr. Sanjay Ramchander
Dean
McCoy College of Business, Texas State University
Dr. Sanjay Ramchander became Dean of the McCoy College of Business in August 2020. He is a professor of finance and holds the Darren Casey endowed professorship in business. As a financial economist, Dr. Ramchander studies the intersection of asset pricing and investor behavior. In his role as Dean, Dr. Ramchander leads the college in its mission to foster an engaged learning community that prepares students for successful business careers. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce from Nizam College, Osmania University, his M.B.A. from Saint Louis University, and his D.B.A. in finance from Cleveland State University.
Host
Dr. Alexis Stokes
Associate Dean for Faculty and Research
McCoy College of Business, Texas State University
In her role as associate dean, Dr. Alexis Stokes facilities faculty policies, professional development, research programs, global engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Her own scholarship focuses on securities litigation, corporate governance, and international dispute resolution. Dr. Stokes earned her B.A. in Economics, Political Science, and Managerial Studies from Rice University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
The McCoy Conversations series offers topical webinars for the business community to bridge academic and industry perspectives. For more information, please contact Dr. Alexis Stokes, McCoy College of Business Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, at McCoyResearch@txstate.edu.