St. Olaf professor named Minnesota State Economist

On Monday, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) named St. Olaf College Professor of Economics Anthony Becker the Minnesota state economist.

After 11 years in the role, Laura Kalambokidis is preparing to turn over the state’s economic forecasting and revenue reporting duties to Becker June 30.

Minnesota’s state economist provides crucial, nonpartisan economic research and analysis that helps drive state budget development and track the state’s financial performance. Minnesota’s twice-annual economic forecasts look at many factors that can influence state revenues and expenses. The documents provide predictive data that state policymakers and legislators use to guide spending decisions. The integrity of the work requires that it be done based on sound data and economic principles without partisan influence.

“Economic forecasting has been a passion of mine since my time in graduate school, and it is an honor to use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the years in service to Minnesota,” Becker said. “Kalambokidis is highly respected in and out of state government. It is a great privilege to take over this important work from her. I look forward to continuing her high standards of transparency and objectivity and her commitment to following the data to give the Governor and Legislature the most accurate and meaningful forecasts possible.”

Becker will join current state economist Kalambokidis at MMB before she leaves her role. Kalambokidis served in the role throughout the economic uncertainties created by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. response to it. She will continue to teach in the Applied Economics Department and serve as an extension economist at the University of Minnesota.

“I am very pleased to announce Becker has agreed to become our next state economist,” Commissioner of MMB Erin Campbell said. “His many years studying and teaching economics, including nearly 40 years as a professor at St. Olaf College, have provided Dr. Becker with a strong background in economics at the state as well as national and global levels.”

Becker is a professor of economics at St. Olaf College in Northfield, where he has been a faculty member since 1987. He has served as the Husby-Johnson Professor of Business and Economics from 2016 to 2019, chair of the Economics Department from 2012 to 2020, and has chaired several faculty committees. He has also worked as a consultant in economic analysis and as an expert witness in economic damages.

He has been a visiting professor at the Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica and an affiliate faculty at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Santa Fe, Argentina. Becker was also a visiting professor at Middlebury College in Vermont.

Becker holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in economics, both from Duke University, and a bachelor’s with Honors in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park. A published author, he is a member of the American Economic Association, American Society of Hispanic Economists, National Association of Forensic Economists, and Western Economic Association International.