Community and business leaders will look to the future of the economy in North Central Massachusetts at the Ninth Annual Economic Forecast Breakfast being held on Friday, March 27, 2020 from 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Double Tree by Hilton, 99 Erdman Way, Leominster, MA. Sponsored by Fidelity Bank and in partnership with the Greater Gardner, North Quabbin, Nashoba Valley and Wachusett Area Chambers, the breakfast will feature the results of the annual Economic Outlook Survey and remarks from a panel of three featured speakers. 

This year’s Economic Forecast Panel will feature Dr. Tracey Corley, Transit-Oriented Development Fellow at MassINC; Eileen McAnneny, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation; and Dr. Bo Zhao, Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Bo Zhao is a senior economist at the New England Public Policy Center in the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Research Department. He specializes in public finance and urban and regional economics. In 2013, he received the Boston Fed’s President’s Award. Zhao earned his PhD in economics and his MS in applied statistics from Syracuse University. He joined the Boston Fed in 2005 and served on the Municipal Aid Subcommittee of the Massachusetts Municipal Finance Task Force from 2006 to 2007. Zhao was selected by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as one of 20 young scholars nationwide to participate in the 2005 Entrepreneurship Research Boot Camp.

Eileen McAnneny joined the staff of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation as its President in February, 2015. Founded in 1932, the Taxpayers Foundation is widely recognized as the state’s premier public policy organization dealing with state spending, tax and economic policies. The Foundation’s record of high-quality research and non-partisan analysis has earned the organization broad credibility on Beacon Hill and across the state. Earlier in her career, she worked in the public sector as a staff attorney for the Joint Committee on Revenue of the Massachusetts legislature, playing a key role in numerous significant tax policy changes, including reforms to the corporate tax code, an overhaul of the Appellate Tax Board, amendments to DOR’s administrative practices and updates to unclaimed property collections.  A cum laude graduate of Tufts University and Suffolk University Law School, Ms. McAnneny holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a juris doctorate in law.   She is a Commissioner of the Group Insurance Commission and on the Board of Directors of the Cooperative Central Bank. She also was appointed by Governor Baker as Vice Chair of the Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth.

Dr. Tracy A. Corley, MassINC’s Transit-Oriented Development Fellow, thrives on creating economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for people in our world’s metropolitan regions. She brings expertise in economic development, business, labor markets, architecture, law, and public policy to MassINC. As the TOD Fellow, she convenes political and community leaders to spur inclusive development in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities. Dr. Corley attained her B.A. in Architecture Design from Clemson University and her M.S. in Public Policy and Ph.D. in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern University.

The cost is just $35 for Chamber members/$50 for non-members and includes a breakfast buffet. Tables of ten are also available.  Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, please contact the Chamber at 978.353.7600 ext. 235 or CLICK HERE.