The director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana will serve as president of the national Association for University Business and Economic Research for the 2020-21 season.

Patrick Barkey will lead the professional organization with a focus on programming and membership.

“It is humbling to follow the long history of prestigious researchers who have held this position,” Barkey said. “I look forward to working with the leadership team to make our organization more valuable and relevant.”

The University’s BBER has grown to become one of the largest and most successful business research centers in the country. The bureau analyzes local, state and national economies and provides annual income, employment and population forecasts.

It also conducts extensive research on forest products, manufacturing, and health care and child welfare. It presents its findings across the state during its annual economic forecast and publishes Montana Business Quarterly magazine.

The board elections were announced at AUBER’s 2019 conference held in Savannah, Georgia, and hosted by the Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research at Georgia Southern University’s Parker College of Business.

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