Darla Moore School of Business

Luke P. Rodgers is an Associate Professor of Economics at Florida State University. His research interests include various areas of applied microeconomics, with a primary focus on how tax policy affects families.

Sarah Kasimarow is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Economics in the Sanford School of Public Policy, a Faculty Affiliate of the Center for Child & Family Policy, and a Faculty Scholar at the Duke University Population Research Institute. She is an applied microeconomist with research interests in the economics of education and K-12 education policy.

Breyon Williams is the Chief Economist at Groundwork Collaborative. He is an applied economist and research strategist who uses data and evidence to inform economic policy that puts working people first. At Groundwork Collaborative, he leads the organization’s research portfolio, translating rigorous analysis into actionable insights that advance a more inclusive, people-centered economy.

Jeff Denning is an Associate Professor at the The University of Texas at Austin in the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Department of Educational Leadership and Policy and the Associate Research Director of the Education Research Center. He is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a Research Affiliate at IZA and CESifo. His research often focuses on higher education. He has studied financial aid including student loans, grade inflation, college admissions, among other topics.

Alicia Plemmons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of General Business at West Virginia University, Director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center, and Director of the Center for Free Enterprise. Her research uses applied spatial and econometric methods to determine how policy changes affect labor markets by studying how to create environments that facilitate healthy economic growth and business development through research into the determinants of entry, operation, and exit decisions of firms, laborers, and consumers.

Dr. Rebecca Gunnlaugsson is an economist specializing in public finance, with experience in strategic planning, project management, and firm-wide technology implementation. She served as Director of the Division of Research and subsequently Chief Economist at the South Carolina Department of Commerce. She is currently the Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer of the South Carolina Department of Education.

Dr. Battle-Bryant has held numerous leadership positions in workforce development, including Vice President of Human Resources and Workforce Development for the United Infrastructure Group, Assistant Executive Director for the Workforce and Economic Development Division at DEW, and director of the Office of Statewide Workforce Development (OSWD). She was also president and owner of Battle Plan Consulting, LLC, a full-service consulting firm specializing in human resources, workforce development, and public outreach.

Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes is Professor of Economics at the University of California, Merced, where she studies how immigration policy affects immigrant families — children's schooling and health, family stability, and access to care. Her current work examines school safe-zone policies and achievement gaps in California, and procedural justice in U.S. immigration courts.