Skyler Schuck is a Senior Economist in the Colorado Office of State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) and an alumni of CSU’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He is a lead on the Colorado Governor’s Quarterly Economic and Revenue Forecast, manages the budget portfolios for offices of elected officials, and is a technical expert in tax revenue forecasting and Colorado’s Tax Payer Bill of Rights (TABOR). With research interests in economic development, regional analysis, and public budgeting, Skyler strives to create effective programs and solutions for the people of Colorado through collaboration and evidence-based policy.

Dr. Landini is a research consultant with a joint position in the Social Impacts Lab in the University of Missouri Economics department, and the Division of Applied Social Sciences. His research focuses on geospatial analysis in regional economics. As a consultant with SIL, Austin’s research focuses on analysis of tobacco and e-cigarette and cannabis specialty retailer location, visit counts and sales data, along with the demographic and regional economic patterns associated to these store types. In the Division of Applied Social Sciences, Austin is involved in grant funded projects studying trends in perennial cover crop adoption, and on the local economic impact of renewable wind and solar energy installations. Recent publications also include work on spatial patterns in business count growth and on the relationship between demographic change and local public finance.

My work in the community and economic development field focuses on the intersection of housing markets, regulatory policy, and access to infrastructure. My academic research examines how marijuana legalization impacts home values and resale rates. Using advanced econometric techniques—including hedonic pricing models and discrete choice analysis—I have investigated how cash-intensive industries and regulatory shifts influence housing market behavior. More broadly, my research addresses gentrification, affordable housing, and the role of banking access in shaping neighborhood investment patterns and residential price dynamics.

In my professional capacity as a Data Scientist at T-Mobile, I contribute to national-scale initiatives with direct relevance to community development. One such effort is the Direct to Cell program, which leverages satellite connectivity to bring mobile coverage to rural and remote areas historically excluded from cellular infrastructure. This initiative holds significant implications for rural economic resilience, public safety, and digital inclusion, helping to close longstanding gaps in communication and access.

Across both domains, my work is unified by an interest in how policy, markets, and technological systems affect spatial inequality. I aim to provide data-driven insights that inform more inclusive and equitable development strategies, particularly in communities undergoing structural transformation.

Dr. Watson is currently a Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Idaho. He conducts research on regional economic development, natural resource policy, agricultural policy, and general applied economics. Dr. Watson has taught courses at the University of Idaho, Colorado State University, Washington State University, and the University of Cordoba in Spain.

Dr. Scott Shrake serves as the Assistant Vice President for Strategy in the Office of the President & Executive Director for the Institute for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business at Colorado State University. In his role as AVP Shrake helps operationalize the university Courageous Strategic Transformation with an emphasis on Impact, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. As the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Shrake promotes entrepreneurship, innovation, product development, and commercialization for students, faculty, and community members.