(FREE!) U.S. Construction Outlook: Workforce Worries, Project Prospects, Supply Snags

Ken Simonson has been chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, the leading trade association for the construction industry, since 2001. He has more than 40 years of experience analyzing, advocating and communicating about economic and tax issues. Among his outside activities, he advises the Census Bureau on overhauling its construction data. He is a Fellow and past president of the National Association for Business Economics, and he is co-director of the Tax Economists Forum, a professional meeting group he co-founded in 1982.

Ken has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago, and an MA in economics from Northwestern University.

Dr. Amy Crews Cutts is a nationally recognized thought leader and chief economist focused on providing strategic economic analysis rooted in practical business terms. Amy is the president and chief economist of AC Cutts & Associates LLC and also serves as the chief economist for Bright Query LLC and the National Association for Credit Managers. She was previously senior vice president and chief economist for Equifax and senior director and deputy chief economist at Freddie Mac before that. With more than 25 years of economic analysis and policy development experience, Amy is a passionate advocate for expanding consumer and small business access to low-cost, nonpredatory credit. She is a noted expert in credit reporting, consumer and small business credit markets, loan servicing, securitization, residential real estate including home equity and price indices, and trends in employment and compensation.

A polished and engaging presenter, Amy is a sought-after speaker and panelist. Often quoted in national print and broadcast media, she also has published numerous studies in academic journals and books on such topics as the economics of subprime lending, the impact of technology on foreclosure prevention, and the drivers of strategic mortgage default. In 2015, she won the Pulsenomics^® Crystal Ball Award for Outstanding Performance in The Zillow® Home Price Expectations Survey for her forecast accuracy and is a participant in the Wall Street Journal’s Survey of Leading Economists.

Amy holds an MA and doctorate of philosophy in economics from the University of Virginia and a BS in applied mathematics from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX. In 2015, she became a Certified Business Economist^®, a distinction of professional achievement from the National Association for Business Economics (NABE). She serves on the board of directors for NABE and the National Business Economics Issues Council, the policy advisory board for The Reinvestment Fund, the advisory board for Riskspan, and the housing advisory board for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. She has taught economics at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Virginia and was assistant professor of economics and senior researcher in the Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.