Lesley McClure, Vice President and Regional Executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – Birmingham Branch, Kevin Kliesen, Business Economist and Research Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and Thom Walstrum, Business Economist of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on November 6, 2017 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Speaker / Author

Lesley A. McClure

Vice President and Regional Executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Birmingham Branch

Lesley McClure is regional executive and senior officer of the Birmingham Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. She is responsible for the Branch’s board of directors, oversees the Birmingham Branch’s economic and financial education programs, and provides regional input into the Atlanta Fed’s monetary policy process. McClure’s primary role is being the “face of the Federal Reserve” in the Branch’s region, which covers the state of Alabama and Central Georgia. In this capacity, she represents the Fed in developing relationships and organizing and participating in activities throughout the region designed to gather both quantitative data and anecdotal grassroots information ... Read More

Kevin Kliesen

Business Economist and Research Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Kevin L. Kliesen is a business economist and Bank Officer in the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.  He joined the Bank in 1988.  He holds an M.A. in Economics from Colorado State University. In his position as a business economist, he analyzes current U.S. macroeconomic and financial market developments and trends for the Bank president and staff economists prior to each Federal Open Market Committee meeting. He also reports on and analyzes economic conditions in the seven states of the Eighth Federal Reserve District. Another important aspect of this position involves speaking to the general public ... Read More

Thomas Walstrum

Business Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Thomas Walstrum is a business economist in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. His chief responsibilities include the Seventh District's contribution to the Beige Book, the release for the Chicago Fed's Survey of Business Conditions and briefings for the Chicago Fed president on Seventh District economic conditions. He also is a contributing author to the Bank's Midwest Economy blog. Walstrum holds a B.A. in economics from Wheaton College, Illinois, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, with concentrations in labor and urban and regional economics. ... Read More