News

Michael O’Donnell named Acting Director of UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research

December 10, 2020

Michael ‘Mo’ O’Donnell has been made Acting Director of The University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. He is temporarily taking the reins at the request of current director Jeff Mitchell.

Dr. O’Donnell, who became a Lobo in 2010, will step into his new role immediately. 

 Dr. O’Donnell received a JD and a Masters in Agricultural and Resource Economics, both from the University of Arizona, and, a PhD in Economics from the University of New Mexico. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar.

For the past decade, Dr. O’Donnell has been responsible for managing BBER’s quarterly economic forecasting program. Working closely with Dr. Mitchell, he produces 5-year projections of key economic variables for the state of New Mexico and its sub-state regions. Projections are used by both public and private-sector clients for the purposes of budgeting and strategic decision-making.

In addition, Dr. O’Donnell regularly engages in a wide variety of research projects related to tax policy analysis, regulatory analysis, demographic analysis, housing policy, and revenue forecasting. He also conducts water policy research and natural resource analysis and has published articles in scholarly journals and authored book chapters.

All media inquiries regarding BBER reports and data should continue being sent to RaeAnn McKernan ([email protected]) or Rachel Whitt ([email protected]).