The Economic Roundtable (ERT) of the Ohio Valley will continue its 2025-26 programming with the Spring 2026 Speaker Series, bringing nationally recognized leaders in economics, public policy, and environmental regulation to the Mid-Ohio Valley for a series of luncheons and business Q&A sessions.
The spring series opens on Monday, Feb. 9, with Jim Bianco, president and macro strategist at Bianco Research, L.L.C. Bianco will lead a Business Q&A that evening, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Thomas Hall鈥檚 Cooper Auditorium (Room 124), on 蓝莓视频鈥檚 campus. His talk, 鈥淲hich Macro Indicators Matter and Which Ones Do Not,鈥 will continue at an ERT luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Parkersburg Country Club in Vienna, West Virginia.
With more than three decades of experience in the global economy and financial markets, Bianco has developed a reputation for objective, incisive commentary that challenges consensus thinking. Since founding Bianco Research L.L.C. in 1998, Bianco鈥檚 research and commentary have spanned monetary policy, financial market positioning, fund flows, and the intersection of markets and politics. He regularly appears on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business, and his work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Grant鈥檚 Interest Rate Observer, and MarketWatch. Bianco holds a B.S. in Finance from Marquette University and an MBA from Fordham University.
On Monday, Mar. 23, ERT will welcome David Henderson, emeritus professor of economics at the Naval Postgraduate School and research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Henderson will deliver the Milton Friedman Lecture that evening, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Thomas Hall鈥檚 Cooper Auditorium, speaking on the topic, 鈥淗ow Economists Helped End the Draft.鈥 He will also headline an ERT luncheon on Tuesday, Mar. 24, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Marietta Country Club, speaking on the topic 鈥淭wo Centuries of Sustained Economic Growth.鈥
Henderson is a senior fellow with Canada鈥檚 Fraser Institute and with the Independent Institute. A former senior economist with President Ronald Reagan鈥檚 Council of Economic Advisers, he has testified before several congressional committees, including the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Henderson has written more than 300 articles for national publications including The Wall Street Journal and Fortune, as well as scholarly journals including the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and Cato Journal In addition, he is the editor of The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics and the author and co-author of multiple books, including The Joy of Freedom: An Economist鈥檚 Odyssey and Making Great Decisions in Business and Life. Henderson has appeared on C-SPAN, The Ingraham Angle, MSNBC, and BBC, among others. Henderson holds a Ph.D. in economics from UCLA.
The spring speaker series will conclude with Anne M. Vogel, Region 5 administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Vogel will hold a Business Q&A on Monday, Apr. 27, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Thomas Hall鈥檚 Cooper Auditorium, followed by an ERT luncheon on Tuesday, Apr. 28, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Parkersburg Country Club. Both events will focus on 鈥淧owering the Great American Comeback in the Midwest.鈥
Appointed in April 2025, Vogel oversees EPA operations across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as 37 Tribal nations. Prior to joining the EPA, she served as director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, as policy director for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, and worked for more than a decade with American Electric Power Company. Vogel鈥檚 early career experience includes serving as a federal judicial clerk and litigator. Vogel holds a law degree from Capital University and an MBA from The Ohio State University.
鈥淥ur Spring 2026 series brings together three speakers who see the economy from different perspectives but share a commitment to serious analysis and public engagement,鈥 said Dr. Greg Delemeester, McCoy Professor and Milton Friedman Chair of Business & Economics at 蓝莓视频 and ERT vice president of programs. 鈥淪panning financial markets, economic history, and the future of energy in the Midwest, the series reflects the Roundtable鈥檚 core mission of helping people better understand how the economy works.鈥
Each luncheon program is open to Economic Roundtable members and guests. Business Q&A sessions take place the evening before each luncheon and are free and open to students, faculty, and the community.
The Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley fosters a collaborative community for business professionals and lifelong learners, offering professional development, civic engagement, and insight into today鈥檚 most pressing economic and policy issues through its renowned speaker series and networking opportunities.