The 31st Annual Wichita Area Economic Outlook Conference

October 7, 2010   ~  Century II Convention Hall

7:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Conference Speakers

Kenneth D. Simonson, Chief Economist, The Associated General Contractors of America

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Ken Simonson has provided economic insights to construction and related industries since joining AGC of America on September 10, 2001. His weekly email newsletter, The Data DIGest, provides 15,000 readers with the latest economic news relevant to construction. Almost daily, he serves as a resource for local and national media, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CNBC. He also contributes frequently to a variety of business and professional publications and conferences.

Simonson has 35 years of experience analyzing, advocating and communicating about economic and tax issues. He has served as senior economic advisor in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy and as vice president and chief economist for the American Trucking Associations. He also has worked with the President’s Commission on Industrial Competitiveness, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Ken is a board member of the National Tax Association and chairs a new Real Estate/Construction Roundtable for the National Association for Business Economics.

Simonson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Chicago, a Master of Arts degree in economics from Northwestern University and has taken advanced graduate economics courses at the Université de Paris, as well as Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities.


Stephan S. Thurman, International Economist, U.S. State Department

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 Stephan S. Thurman’s present position is lead international macroeconomist for the Economic Policy and Public Diplomacy office of the Economic, Energy and Business Bureau of the U.S. Department of State.  He analyzes economic situations and trends in international trade and finance for the secretary and the bureau's officers to assist them in the formulation of U.S. international economic policy.

 Thurman's previous positions included deputy chief economist and head of domestic and international forecasting for the United States Chamber of Commerce, director of international trade for Standard and Poor's DRI, principal analyst in the economics department of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, France, as well as other positions with the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, Wharton Econometrics (now Global Insight), and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

 Thurman received his doctorate in philosophy in 1979 from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., while working in the research and international departments of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.  He received his bachelor of science degree in economics from Texas A&M University.


Jeffrey L. Turner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.

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Jeffrey L. “Jeff” Turner was named president and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. in June 2005, upon the divestiture of the Boeing Commercial Airplanes Wichita Division, where he had served as vice president-general manager since November 1995. As Spirit AeroSystems CEO, he successfully led the transition from Boeing Division to an independent company, completing the company’s Initial Public Offering in November 2006. Spirit AeroSystems (SPR) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

A Kansas native, Turner began his career with The Boeing Company in 1973 as a part-time programmer, while completing his degree at Wichita State University. During his tenure with The Boeing Company, he held key management and director positions at Boeing Computer Services, Boeing Military Airplane Company and Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Wichita and Seattle, Wash.

Turner received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and computer science in 1973 and a master of science degree in engineering management science in 1977, both from Wichita State University. In 1984, he was selected as a Boeing Sloan Fellow to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, where he earned a master’s degree in management.

In addition to his responsibilities at Spirit AeroSystems Inc., Turner serves on the Board of Governors for the Aerospace Industries Association. He is also very involved in the local community, having served on many local boards. He currently serves on the boards of Intrust Bank; World Impact; Kansas Technical Training Institute; and the Sedgwick County Technical Education Training Authority. He and his wife, Rhonda, are active members of Westlink Christian Church and have two adult children and two grandsons.


 

Vincent Amanor-Boadu, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture Economics, Kansas State University

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Vincent Amanor-Boadu is an associate professor of agribusiness economics and management at Kansas State University. His research and outreach efforts encompass business development and entrepreneurship, technology and innovation, and strategic management, with emphasis on inter-organizational relationships.

Amanor-Boadu teaches economics and management of food manufacturing; distribution and retailing; and advanced food and agribusiness management. He also conducts seminars on strategic thinking and visioning, change management and mechanisms of governance.

He received his doctorate from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and worked for nearly a decade as the director of research at the George Morris Centre, an independent agri-food think tank in Canada.


Jeremy Hill, Director, Center for Economic Development and Business Research, W. Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University

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Jeremy Hill became director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research in May 2009.  In his role, he leads the CEDBR’s objective economic research and analysis for private businesses, nonprofits and government organizations in Wichita, the state and the surrounding region.

He earned his master of public administration degree and a bachelor of business administration degree in economics from Georgia Southern University.

He has nine years of experience working with two applied research centers at Georgia Southern University: the Bureau of Business Research and Economic Development and Coastal Rivers Water Planning and Policy Center. Hill successfully developed key relationships for the centers during his tenure there and is enthusiastic about networking and partnering with the business and economic development communities served by the CEDBR and the W. Frank Barton School of Business.

His research focus has been on business analysis, community development, education, workforce, tourism, housing and retirement dynamics. This variety of research has required economic impact modeling, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting, data analysis, and survey development and design.

He has been involved in a number of national and regional organizations, such as the Association of University Business and Economic Research, the National Association of Home Builders, and the University Economic Development Association.


Larry Hatteberg, Anchor/Reporter, KAKE TV 10

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Larry Hatteberg is Kansas’ most honored journalist, with more than 100 local, state and national awards for news photography and reporting. He began his television career with KAKE in 1963, distinguishing himself with his ability to visually communicate.

His “Hatteberg’s People” series demonstrates his journalistic style of allowing his subjects to tell their own stories. This series is the longest running television feature in Kansas, and his book “Larry Hatteberg’s Kansas People” spent weeks on the state’s best-selling list. He has held nearly every position in the KAKE newsroom and currently co-anchors KAKE News at Five.

Hatteberg grew up in Winfield, Kan. He attended Kansas State Teachers College and Wichita State University before starting at KAKE. His wife Judy is a writer and teacher. They have two daughters, Sherry and Susan.


Donald L. Beggs, President, Wichita State University

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Donald Beggs earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University and his doctorate in educational measurement and statistics, in 1966, from the University of Iowa.

Prior to accepting the presidency at Wichita State University in 1999, Beggs was a professor who served in numerous administrative positions during his 32-year tenure at Southern Illinois University and retired as chancellor of SIU in 1998.  He started his 11th year as president of WSU in January of this year.

Beggs is the senior author of a nationally standardized test and the author of several books and many academic articles.

He is active in the community, serving on the board of directors for the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition’s steering council.  He is also serving on the board of the Center of Innovation for Biomaterials in Orthopaedic Research.

Respected by his peers, Beggs was selected to serve on the NCAA executive committee, the NCAA Division I board of directors from 2001-2005 and on the NCAA Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Athletics.  He recently served on the NCAA Baseball Academic Enhancement Working Group.

Don and Shirley Beggs have two children and four grandchildren.


Doug Hensler, Dean, W. Frank Barton School of Business, Wichita State University

Doug-Hensler

Doug Hensler joined Wichita State University in June 2008 as dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business.

Prior to that, he served as dean and Sid Craig Endowed Dean’s Chair in the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno.  Before that appointment, Hensler served for eight years at the University of Colorado at Boulder as the W. Edwards Deming Professor of Management, a joint appointment to the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the Leeds School of Business.

Prior to returning to the academic community, Hensler served in several management capacities in the nuclear and aerospace industries.  In 1998, he co-founded the Multinational Alliance for the Advancement of Organizational Excellence. He serves on several editorial boards of international journals.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace and mechanical sciences, a master’s degree in business administration and a doctor of philosophy degree in finance.  In addition, Hensler is a registered professional engineer in quality engineering.