Friday, March 22, 2024
8:00am—Noon
East Tennessee State University Martin Center for the Arts
Powell Auditorium
Dr. Aryaman Bhatnagar
Assistant Professor of Economics
Dr. Bhatnagar is from Mumbai, India. He received a B.Sc. in Economics in 2014 from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Mumbai, India) and an M.A in Economics in 2016 from Jawaharlal Nehru University (Delhi, India). In 2023 he earned his Ph.D. in economics from The University of Kansas. Prior to obtaining his Ph.D., he was a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Government Reforms and Infrastructure Development unit, where his role was to work closely with national and sub-national governments on issues of macroeconomic policy.
Dr. Jon Smith
Professor of Economics
Dr. Jon L. Smith is Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and Finance at East Tennessee State University and Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
Dr. Smith attended Mississippi State University where he received a BS in Business Administration. Dr. Smith was awarded an MA from the University of South Carolina in 1975. He received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1982. Dr. Smith has taught at ETSU since 1980.
Dr. Joseph Newhard
Professor of Economics
Joseph holds B.A.s in Economics and Political Science from Ohio State University and a M.A. in Economics from Bowling Green State University. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Economics from Clemson University.
Joseph worked in Greenwich, Connecticut as a research associate for CNH Partners, an affiliate of AQR Capital Management, throughout the final three years of graduate school. Prior to coming to ETSU he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Private Enterprise Research Center at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on interest groups and economic regulation.
Dr. William Trainor
Professor of Finance
William J. Trainor is a Professor of Finance in the Department of Economics and Finance at East Tennessee State University. Dr. Trainor received his Ph.D. in Finance from Virginia Tech in 1994 and has been with ETSU since 2006. He has also been a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder since 2002.
Trainor has published extensively in journals such as Financial Review, Journal of Index Investing, Journal of Personal Finance, Journal of Financial Planning, Journal of Investing, Atlantic Economic Journal, and Financial Services Review among others. He has received both ETSU’s School of Business and Technology’s Faculty Excellence Award for Outstanding New Faculty and the Faculty Excellence Award for Scholarship. Dr. Trainor teaches Investments, Applied Equity Valuation in which students manage a TVA investment portfolio. Last year the team received congressional recognition for their performance in the activity.
Stuart C. McWhorter
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner
Stuart C. McWhorter has served as TNECD commissioner since July 2022. During his tenure, TNECD has nearly 140 projects, which represent more than 19,400 job commitments and $10.1 billion in capital investment. Of those projects, more than 29 percent were the result of foreign direct investment.
McWhorter has a diverse background in entrepreneurship, corporate finance and strategic planning. He served as co-founder and chairman of Clayton Associates with over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurship and early-stage investing.
McWhorter stepped away from Clayton Associates in 2019 to join Governor Lee’s administration as commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration. He led the drafting of two fiscal year state budgets, co-chaired the Governor’s Healthcare Modernization Task Force and was appointed director of the Tennessee Unified Command Group to coordinate the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, McWhorter previously served as the CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center and chairman of the Board of Directors of Nashville-based FirstBank Financial Corporation (NYSE: FBK).
He received his Master of Health Administration from The University of Alabama-Birmingham and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Clemson University.
In Conversation
Dr. Tony Pittarese
Dean, ETSU College of Business & Technology
Dr. Christel Young
Site Director, BlueSky Tennessee Institute
Dr. Jill Hayter
Associate Dean for Academics, ETSU College of Business & Technology
For More Information, Contact:
Taylor Stevenson
Chair, Department of Economics & Finance, ETSU
Parking and Traffic:
ETSU Martin Center event parking is located at the Millennium Center parking garage behind the Carnegie Hotel on levels 3, 4, 5, and 6. The address for this garage is: 2001 Millennium Place, Johnson City, TN 37604. Parking is FREE for this event.
ADA-accessible parking and drop-off is located adjacent to the Martin Center in Lot 55, accessible via Harris Drive West, behind the Bank of Tennessee building. A shuttle will be available to transport patrons from the ADA-accessible parking to the security checkpoint at the front.
ADA-accessible spots are also located in the Millennium Center garage. There is an elevator in the garage. The walkway from the garage to the Martin Center is covered.- Please do not park in business lots located near the Martin Center. Those are privately owned spaces, and your vehicle may be subject to towing.
2023 Appalachian Highlands Economic Forum