Oct. 26--Washington's chief economist, Arun Raha, will be the keynote speaker for The Columbian's 2010 Economic Forecast Breakfast in January

The annual event at the Hilton Vancouver Washington, set for the morning of Jan. 22, will feature Raha and a select group of local economic experts representing Clark County industries such as high-tech, banking, real estate and health care.

As executive director of the state's Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, Raha is responsible for forecasting Washington's general fund revenues and economy. He also advises the governor, state legislative committees and other government agencies regarding economic and revenue activity in the state. He will share his outlook for Washington's economy heading into the new year.

Raha holds a doctorate in economics from Washington State University and a master's from the Delhi School of Economics in Delhi, India. He has formerly served as a vice-president for economic research at Swiss Re, a global reinsurer, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and has been manager of economic analysis at Eaton Corp., a global, diversified industrial manufacturer based in Cleveland.

Raha has won two national forecasting awards: the 2007 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's top overall forecast prize, and the Wall Street Journal's January 2005 forecasting award. Raha has served on the Ohio Governor's Council of Economic Advisors, and is a former member of the Board of the Automotive Market Research Council.

The breakfast begins at 7 a.m., with the keynote speech to be followed by breakout sessions featuring The Columbian's forecast panelists.

Previous keynoters have included nationally syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary; Ernie Ankrim, chief financial strategist with the Russell Group; Portland economist John Mitchell; and Jon Clemens, research executive with Sharp Corp.

Reservations will be available through the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce as the event draws closer.

-----

To see more of The Columbian, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbian.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.