2026 Economic Outlook

2026 Economic Outlook

Panelists to Share Their Expertise, Insights Nov. 18 During Ohio Wesleyan Conference

DELAWARE, Ohio - Three experts will analyze the regional, national, and international economies during Ohio Wesleyan University's 2026 Economic Outlook Conference. The free panel discussion will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in Benes Room B of OWU's Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware.

Panelists for this year's Economic Outlook Conference are:

Bill LaFayette, Ph.D., the owner of Regionomics LLC. His central Ohio company focuses on small-area economies with a focus on strategic economic and workforce analysis and planning. Through Regionomics, LaFayette helps clients understand regional and community economic, demographic, and workforce trends, and then he helps them develop strategies to respond to the trends. His previous work has included serving as vice president of economic analysis for the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and as an adjunct faculty member in The Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

Ian Sheldon, Ph.D., the Andersons Chair for Agricultural Marketing, Trade and Policy in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. Sheldon primarily focuses his research on the interaction between trade and environmental policies; analysis of the effects of exchange rate volatility on international trade flows; examination of the effects of policy on trade in ethanol; and analysis of China's exchange rate policies. He is currently working on issues related to carbon tariffs and the impact of intellectual property rights on U.S. seed exports.

Willem Van Zandweghe, Ph.D., vice president in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland. Van Zandweghe oversees the department's research analytics team. His areas of expertise include macroeconomics and monetary economics, and his research focuses on business fluctuations, inflation dynamics, and monetary policy. Van Zandweghe previously spent 11 years at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, first as an economist in the Research Department and then as assistant vice president.

During the Ohio Wesleyan conference, each expert will speak for 15 minutes and then take questions from the audience and panel moderator Goran Skosples, Ph.D., the Robert L. and Mary C. Milligan Associate Professor of Economics. Skosples, who joined the OWU faculty in 2006, encourages students to relate lessons to current events to help them understand the underlying importance of government economic policies in their daily lives. His teaching focus includes the economics of transition, macroeconomics, development economics, international economics, research methods, and economic principles.

Ohio Wesleyan's annual Economic Outlook Conference is co-sponsored by the university's Department of Economics and Business and by The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship. Learn more at owu.edu/economics or owu.edu/Woltemade.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.