BOONE, N.C.—John Silvia, chief economist for Wells Fargo, will be the speaker at this spring’s Harlan E. Boyles Distinguished Lecture at Appalachian State University, to be held Friday, March 31, at 3 p.m. in Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on campus. A reception in the lobby will follow.

His talk is titled “Optimism on Growth on the Basis of Thoughtful Stimulus.” The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

The event is sponsored by the Walker College of Business and Appalachian’s student chapter of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). The lecture is also the keynote address for the Appalachian Research in Business Symposium.

Prior to his current position, Silvia worked on Capitol Hill as senior economist for the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee and chief economist for the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Before that, he was chief economist of Kemper Funds and managing director of Scudder Kemper Investments Inc.

Silvia served as president of NABE in 2015 and was awarded a NABE Fellow Certificate of Recognition in 2011 for Outstanding Contributions to the Business Economics Profession and Leadership Among Business Economists to the Nation. For the second time in three years, he was awarded the best overall forecast by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, as well as the best unemployment rate forecast for 2011. Silvia is on the Bloomberg Best Forecast list for his forecasts of GDP, the ISM manufacturing index, housing starts and the unemployment rate.

Silvia holds B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Northeastern University in Boston and has a master’s degree in economics from Brown University. His first book, “Dynamic Economic Decision Making,” was published by Wiley in August 2011. His second book, “Economic and Business Forecasting,” was published in 2014, also by Wiley. Silvia is a Certified Business Economist (CBE).

Silvia serves as a member of the Blue Chip Panel of Economic Forecasters and also serves on an informal advisory group for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He served as chair for the Economic Advisory Committee of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Economic Advisory Roundtable. Silvia also serves on the finance committee for the Mint Museum in Charlotte, and is a regular lecturer to the Cornell Food Executive Program. Silvia is past president of the Charlotte Economics Club. He has also served on economic advisory committees to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and the Public Securities Association.

A strong supporter of education and civic affairs, Silvia serves as a member of the Business Advisory Council for Appalachian’s Walker College of Business and on the President’s Council for Charlotte’s Central Piedmont Community College. He has previously served as a board member of the British American Business Council of North Carolina, and on the Economic Development Board for the State of North Carolina, a special appointment by the governor. He has also served on the Business Advisory Committee for the City of Charlotte.

The lecture series is named for the late Harlan E. Boyles, who served for 24 years as N.C. state treasurer. For more information, call 828-262-2057.

About NABE

NABE is the premier professional association for business economists and those who use economics in the workplace. Since 1959, NABE has attracted the most prominent figures in economics, business, and academia to its membership with highly-regarded conferences, educational and career development offerings, industry surveys, and its unrivaled networking opportunities. The NABE membership is organized into subject-oriented roundtables, including: Data and Statistics, Energy, Financial, Health Economics, International, Manufacturing/Industry, Policy, Real Estate/Construction, Regional/Utility, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Transfer Pricing, and Transportation. Past presidents of NABE include former Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Federal Reserve System, Alan Greenspan, several former Federal Reserve governors, and other senior business leaders.

For more information, visit http://www.nabe.com.

About the Appalachian Research in Business Symposium

The Appalachian Research in Business Symposium is an annual conference, providing an opportunity for the business faculty of universities in the Appalachian region to share current research interests and outcomes. The 2017 conference will be held on the campus of Appalachian State University March 30-31, and research will be presented in the business areas of accounting, business education, computer information systems, supply chain management, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality and tourism, management, and marketing.

For more information, visit: https://business.appstate.edu/events/appalachian-research-business-symposium

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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