The Economic Outlook Conference is an annual conference organized by the Woltemade Center and the Department of Economics and Business at Ohio Wesleyan University. The Conference typically hosts a three-person panel where each panelist provides a local, national, or international economic outlook of what to expect regarding growth, employment, and the overall state of the economy. Out of the three speakers, a national perspective is usually provided by an economist from the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, a local perspective is typically provided by an economist from the Central Ohio area, and an international view is provided by various economists and business persons who deal with international issues in their lives. Each panelist gives a brief presentation of about 10-12 minutes, which is followed by a discussion among panelists and finally, questions from the audience. Usually, the program draws a substantial audience from both the campus and local community.
Hamilton-Williams Campus Center
40 Rowland Avenue, Delaware, OH 43015
Benes Room B
7:30 PM
Free and open to the public - no tickets required
Professor Goran Skosples, Ph.D., moderates the Economic Outlook Conference
| 11/18/2025 | Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Founder and Owner of Regionomics LLC |
| November 2025 Livestream Link | Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., Andersons Chair for Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University |
| Willem Van Zandweghe, Ph.D., Vice President in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 1/28/2025 | Joyce Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Economics in Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University |
| January 2025 Livestream Link | Fadhel Kaboub, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics at Denison University and President of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity |
| Mark Schweitzer, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor of Economics at Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University | |
| 2/13/2024 | Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Ph.D., CEO of Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio |
| 2024 Livestream Link | Guhan Venkatu, M.A., Senior Policy Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland |
| Andrew Will '09, CFA, Director of Investment Strategy at Ameriprise Bank, FSB | |
| 11/7/2022 | Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Owner of Regionomics |
| Mark E. Schweitzer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., Andersons Professor of International Trade, Graduate Studies Leader, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University | |
| 11/14/2017 | Bob Lamb, J.D., Master's in Urban Planning and Development, Economic Development Director for Delaware County |
| Mark E. Schweitzer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| Andrew Will, M.S., Global Macroeconomic Strategist at Hartford Investment Management Company | |
| 11/15/2016 | Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Owner of Regionomics |
| Mark E. Schweitzer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., Andersons Professor of International Trade, Graduate Studies Leader, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University | |
| 11/17/2015 | Ben Ayers, M.S., Senior Economist at Nationwide Economics |
| George Mokrzan, Ph.D., Private Financial and Capital Markets Group, Vice President and Senior Economist at Huntington Bank | |
| Mark E. Schweitzer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 11/12/2014 | Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Owner of Regionomics |
| Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., Andersons Professor of International Trade, Graduate Studies Leader, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University | |
| Joel Elvery, Ph.D., Economist for the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 11/11/2013 | Jim Newton, Ph.D., Chief Economic Adviser for Commerce National Bank in Columbus |
| Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., Andersons Professor of International Trade, Graduate Studies Leader, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University | |
| Edward S. Knotek II, Ph.D., Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 10/11/2012 | Pedro Amaral, Ph.D., Senior Research Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland |
| James Bang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Economics at St. Ambrose University | |
| Kenny McDonald, CEcD, Chief Economic Officer for Columbus 2020 | |
| 11/7/2011 | Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Owner of Regionomics |
| Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., Andersons Professor of International Trade, Graduate Studies Leader, Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University | |
| Guhan Venkatu, Ph.D., Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 11/8/2010 | Nader Nazmi, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Latin America Department, Institute of International Finance |
| George Mokrzan, Ph.D., Private Financial and Capital Markets Group, Vice President and Senior Economist at Huntington Bank | |
| Mark E. Schweitzer, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 2/15/2010 | Leo de Bever, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer at AIMCo Alberta Investment Management Corporation |
| O. Emre Ergungor, Ph.D., Senior Research Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| James Newton, Ph.D., Chief Economic Advisor for Commerce National Bank, President and Owner of Economic Perspectives Inc., Adjunct Professor of Economics at The Ohio State University, Professor of Economics and Statistics at DeVry University | |
| 2/16/2009 | Andrew B. Busch '83, MBA, Director at BMO Capital Markets Global Foreign Exchange Market Strategist, CNBC's The Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo |
| Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Vice President of Economic Analysis at The Columbus Chamber of Commerce | |
| Kenneth R. Beauchemin, Ph.D., Senior Research Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 2/28/2008 | Owen F. Humpage, Ph.D., Senior Economic Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland |
| Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., Vice President of Economic Analysis at The Columbus Chamber of Commerce | |
| Dr. Dale L. Larson, Ph.D., President of Larson Global Consulting, Inc. | |
| 2/26/2007 | Andrew B. Busch '83, MBA, Director at BMO Capital Markets Global Foreign Exchange Market Strategist, CNBC's The Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo |
| Mark Sniderman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Research Bank of Cleveland | |
| Philip A. Volker, Chief Investment Officer at Advance Asset Management Advisors, Inc. | |
| 2/28/2006 | Leo de Bever, Ph.D., Executive Vice President at MFC Global Investment Management |
| Donald Ratajczak, Ph.D., Consulting Economist at Morgan Keegan & Company | |
| Mark Sniderman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 2/22/2005 | Dale L. Larson, Ph.D., President of Larson Global Consulting, Inc. |
| Kenneth T. Mayland, Ph.D., President of ClearView Economics, LLC | |
| Mark S. Sniderman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland | |
| 2/23/2004 | Leo De Bever, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for Research and Economics with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund |
| Bryan Jordan, Economist at Banc One Investment Advisors | |
| Ed Stevens, Ph.D., Senior Consultant and Economist at the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank |