Ready for St. Louis: “New Global Financial, Economic Architecture”

Headliner speakers and other prominent economists will address emerging policies and likely scenarios for the “new financial and economic architecture” at NABE’s 51st Annual Meeting set for October 10-13 at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in St. Louis.

As the global economy shows signs the recession is easing, policymakers in the Obama administration, Federal Reserve officials, and private forecasters are preparing to share their insights and projections at the annual meeting. NABE members’ forecasts, as always, will be a prominent part of the program, too.

On the business networking and social side, the annual meeting will feature special receptions at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, an historic courthouse, and the popular small group dinners organized by topic and interest groups. Organizers have built in many networking opportunities that are a hallmark of NABE events.

Arrive on Saturday, October 10, for the NABE president’s reception, hosted by Chris Varvares in his hometown and the headquarters of Macroeconomic Advisers, where he serves as president. Earlier that afternoon, members and guests are invited to a personalized guided tour of selected St. Louis neighborhoods and other highlights.

Summers Honored With Adam Smith Award

Lawrence Summers, director of the National Economic Council and a top advisor to President Obama, will be honored as the 2009 recipient of the Adam Smith Award, NABE’s highest honor. At the luncheon on Monday, October 12, Summers will deliver the Adam Smith Address, which will be published in NABE’s flagship journal Business Economics.

The Adam Smith Award recognizes Summers for his “demonstrated excellence in the profession.” Before his appointment to head the council, Summers was the Charles W. Eliot Professor at Harvard University, where he served as president from July 2001 to June 2006. He served as Treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001.

David Wessel, economics editor of the Wall St. Journal, will be the guest speaker on Saturday, October 10. His book “In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic will provide the framework for his discussion of the latest economic developments.

Remarkable Roster of Speakers

This year’s annual meeting offers “a remarkable group of speakers to tackle a host of important issues,” pointed out Varvares. Top Federal Reserve officials and prominent private economists are on the stellar roster of speakers, making the meeting an excellent venue for getting up to speed on the critical issues of the day, he added.

The most hotly debated policy issues—from health care reform to financial institutional reform to alternative energy—have top billing, with panels of experts representing key players in both the public and private sectors.

Varvares will give the 51st annual presidential address the afternoon of Monday, October 12. Earlier that day, he and incoming President Lynn Reaser [link to election article in this issue] will present the results of the NABE outlook survey, based on the latest polling of the organization’s panel of macroeconomic forecasters. Reaser will also present the NABE Outlook Award to the forecast panel member with the most accurate projections over the last year.

Varvares thanked the three co-chairs of the annual meeting organizing committee: Charles Steindel, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Kevin Kliesen, economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; and Robert Fry, senior associate economist of DuPont Corporation. Other members of the committee include: Reaser, Stuart Macintosh, Bryan Bezold, Candice Hynek, and Diane Swonk.

Skills Sessions Cover Careers, Communications

Skills sessions offer career and professional training at the beginning and end of the meeting. Marc Cenedella, founder and chief executive officer of TheLadders.com, will host a session on “career strategy in the new environment” the morning of Sunday, October 11. Get Connected, NABE’s program for early and mid-career professionals, is sponsoring the session.

Behavioral economics is the topic of a second skills session on October 11, with Robert Frank, Cornell University and New York Times columnist. The meeting’s final session on Tuesday, October 13, will be a skills session on communicating inside and outside the corporate setting, with Tripp Frohlichstien, MediaMasters, Inc.

Kohn Will Offer Fed View

Donald Kohn, vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, will present a view from the Fed at the final luncheon on Tuesday, October 13. A member of the Board of Governors since August 2002, Kohn was appointed to a full term 14-year ending in January 2016. Kohn became vice chairman in June 2006 and will serve a four-year term in that capacity.

James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and currently an alternate member of the Federal Open Market Committee, will address members and guests at a reception at the bank the evening of Sunday, October 11.

Christina Romer, chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, will offer the administration’s latest assessment of the outlook and policy initiatives during the breakfast session on Tuesday, October 13.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has been invited to provide the Treasury Department’s point of view at the luncheon on Sunday, October 11.

Thompson Is Keynoter on Health Care

Former Secretary of Health and Human Service Tommy Thompson will be the keynote speaker on health care reform options in his address the morning of Tuesday, October 13. The four-term former Wisconsin governor currently is an independent senior advisor of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and a partner at the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

Health care reform will be the focus of a concurrent session on Sunday, October 10, with speakers including William Peck, Washington University Center for Health Policy. How is the debate unfolding and which policy options appear to have the inside track? The panel will address these and other key issues on one of the most politically contentious issues of the day. An Obama administration official has been invited to join the panel.

The program also includes concurrent sessions on the auto industry—focusing on post-bankruptcy conditions and prospects for a turnaround; the financial sector—reform proposals and the “new normal” for the sector; monetary policy in the new environment; the future of alternative energy options; emerging markets in Asia, Mexico and South America; and housing statistics-best choices to track the market.

Other confirmed speakers include: Leo Abruzzese, Economist Intelligence Unit; Martin Neil Baily, Brookings Institution; Nariman Behravesh, executive vice president and chief economist, IHS Global Insight; Rick Bookstaber, author of A Demon of Our Own Design: Markets, Hedge Funds, and the Perils of Financial Innovation ; John Caldwell, director of economics at the Edison Electric Institute; David Crowe, National Association of Home Builders; Gary Gorton, Yale School of Management; David Johnson, U.S. Census Bureau; Kenneth Kuttner, Williams College; Richard Peach, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; William Poole, CATO Institute; Joel Prakken, Macroeconomic Advisers; David Scharfstein, Harvard Business School; Shawn Schukar, Vice President for Strategic Indicatives at Ameren Services; Karen Shaw-Petrou, Federal Financial Analytics, Inc.; Rene Stulz, Ohio State University; Anjan Thakor, Washington University; and Mark Zandi, Moody’s Economy.com.

Check for the latest program updates online.

Hotel Information

For room reservations at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverfront 315 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, Missouri, call (314) 655-1234 or (800) 233-1234. Ask for the NABE group rate of $169.00 per night. The cutoff date for reservations at the NABE rate is Friday, September 18, 2009.

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