Martin Lavelle is a senior business economist in the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Detroit Branch. Mr. Lavelle’s job responsibilities include economic research, education, and outreach. His research revolves around the Michigan economy and its impact on the Seventh District and national economies, respectively. Specific topics include but aren’t limited to the auto industry, consumer spending, rural economic development, and the City of Detroit. Mr. Lavelle is heavily involved in the formulation of the Chicago Fed’s Beige Book submission by moderating roundtables of key business contacts and regional stakeholders across Michigan and Indiana. Mr. Lavelle has contributed numerous Fed Letters and articles for the Michigan and Midwest blogs, respectively.

Mr. Lavelle served on the Detroit Post-Bankruptcy Working Group, updating policymakers and advisors on economic developments. In addition, he speaks to economics classes at area colleges and high schools. In 2012, he began a series of evening workshops for teachers and educators entitled “Night at the Fed” in which attendees learned more about economic entities and concepts that can be incorporated into classrooms and seminars. In addition to his Federal Reserve work, Mr. Lavelle has taught managerial economics at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and volunteered with Junior Achievement, teaching high school students about entrepreneurship. Mr. Lavelle received his B.S. in Business and M.A. in Economics from Miami University in Oxford, OH.