Sharon Panek

Background

About Sharon Panek

For more than thirty years, Sharon has researched and consulted on a variety of regional economic issues and held positions in both the private and public sectors. Sharon’s interest in regional economics, particularly economic development, led her to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) in after many years as an economic consultant and as a researcher at The Brookings Institution. While at BEA, she has led research efforts that culminated into four new regional data series: GDP by metropolitan area, GDP by county, regional value added for the Arts and Culture Satellite Accounts (ACPSA), and historical GDP by state statistics. Sharon also led development of the Local Area Tracking System (LATS) to track local economies. Sharon currently serves as BEA’s Deputy Division Chief of the Regional Income Division and facilitates preparation of the division’s suite of regional personal income and GDP statistics. Sharon has also written several articles for the Survey of Current Business and has been acknowledged for her research in many other publications. Her research experience includes educational attainment as an indication of labor force quality, economic development, and determinants of firm location.