Date: Thursday, January 16, 2020 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Metro Atlanta Chamber
191 Peachtree Street N.E.
Suite 3400
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Topic: The Economic Outlook and its Risks
Speaker: Tom Cunningham, Ph.D., Metro Atlanta Chamber Senior Vice President Chief Economist
In his talk, Tom will comment on the local Atlanta economy followed by its relationship to regional, national and global economies. Within his presentation, Tom will address the labor-market dynamics and the implications of a labor market close to full employment.
LAI Atlanta Chapter Secretary Stephen Causby submitted the Meeting Notes.
Tom Cunningham’s Bio:
Thomas J. Cunningham is Senior Vice President and the Chief Economist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). Tom joined the MAC in July 2015 following a 30-year career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He is a specialist in open economy macroeconomic policy and regional analysis. At the MAC, he manages an internal team that supports the research and advocacy roles of the economic development and public policy departments.
After starting his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as an economist in the Macropolicy group, Tom served at various times as associate director of research, interim director of research, vice president for the Regional group where he was also responsible for the Latin American group, and acting head of the Finance group. He served on the Bank’s Personnel, Information Technology, and Risk Management Committees and as a member of the Federal Reserve System’s Information Security Group and Technology Services Council. He also was the acting director of, and helped establish, the Bank’s Center for Real Estate Analytics. When Dr. Cunningham retired from the Fed, his title was Vice President, Senior Economist and Regional Executive.
A native of Reedley, California, he received a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in economics from California State University, Fresno. He earned a master’s degree, a master of philosophy, and a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University. He previously worked as an economics instructor at Barnard College at Columbia University and as an adjunct instructor at Iona College, Agnes Scott College, and Emory University. He attended the executive development program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2018. He is a board member of Atlanta’s Neighborhood Nexus as well as the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance. Dr. Cunningham has published numerous professional articles and is a member of the American Economic Association, the Western Economic Association, and the Southern Economic Association.