2016

Meet Thomas Swift

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The Economics Department of  The University of Mary Washington is proud to have Thomas K. Swift as an adjunct Instructor.

At the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Swift has taught Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Microeconomics (200-level courses) as well as Environmental and Resource Economics and Industrial Economics (300- level courses). At the College of Business, he has taught Economics for Business (300-level course) and Managerial Economics, a 500-level course for MBA students.

His academic degrees include a B.A. from Ashland College, a M.A. from Case Western Reserve University, and a D.B.A from Anglia Polytechnic University.

Dr. Swift has extensive knowledge of the manufacturing sector, competitive intelligence, and market research within an international context, as well as business cycle analysis. He recently developed a leading indicator of the US business cycle that leads cycle peaks (end of expansion) by eight months and cycle troughs (end of recession) by four months (see American Chemistry Council). Dr. Swift’s research interests are in business economics and the interaction of strategy, management, and economic developments. He is particularly interested in how organizations can envision and analyze potential strategic futures taking account of changes in the global economy and industry dynamics, technology, and other factors.

Dr. Swift is the chief economist at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), one of the nation’s oldest trade associations. There he is responsible for economic and other analyses dealing with markets, energy, trade, tax, and innovation, as well as monitoring business conditions and identifying emerging economic and industry trends. He disseminates general information to industry decision-makers, the media, Wall Street analysts, the academic community, and the public in general. Prior to joining the ACC, Dr. Swift held executive and senior level positions at several business research companies. He is widely quoted in the trade and general business press, is a regular presenter at industry conferences, and has also appeared on Bloomberg TV and the Nightly Business Report and regularly on the radio.

Dr. Swift is a member (and former board member) of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), the Harvard Discussion Group of Industrial Economists, and the National Business Economics Issues Council. He is a member of NABE’s panel of 40 professional forecasters, The Wall Street Journal Economic Survey panel, and a participant in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank’s forecasters’ survey. For his service as a professional economist and contributions to the profession, Dr. Swift was elected a NABE Fellow. He was also one of the first to earn the Certified Business Economist (CBE) designation. In addition to his formal academic studies, Dr. Swift has completed the Tax Analysis and Revenue Forecasting Program and other studies at Harvard University as well as studies at the University of Oxford.