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Gary Jackson has been the face of Florida Gulf Coast University at business events in Fort Myers and Naples for years.
Jackson was the director of the Regional Economic Research Institute at the university, publishing useful monthly economic snapshots of the region and a quarterly business climate survey. He was a regular at industry conferences, providing insight into data such as real estate and tourism activity.
Now that he's retired, you can expect his replacement to be equally involved. Christopher Westley officially became the new director a week ago when Jackson retired.
The 51-year-old economist finished high school in Naples and his parents live here, so for him it's a coming home of sorts. Most recently, Westley taught economics at Jacksonville State University in Alabama.
A University of Florida graduate, Westley subsequently earned his Ph.D. in economics at Auburn University. He specializes economic analysis of the public sector.
For now, Westley plans to continue to provide the insightful data that Jackson published. Although he has plenty on his agenda to keep Jackson's pace, you can expect Westley to make his own mark with research contributions.
Westley comes on a high note as the region's economy is recovering from the downturn. Indeed, Southwest Florida's economy is better than the national picture. “This is like an island of good economic news,” he says.
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