UNO PANEL:

NEAL C. MARONEY, Ph.D. (Claremont University, 1996) Associate Professor of Economics and Finance and Graduate Coordinator of the Ph.D. program in Financial Economics at the University of New Orleans, Louisiana. At UNO since 1996, Professor Maroney has published in top finance journals in the area of investments. His research interests include International Finance, Financial Market Anomalies and Demographics and asset pricing. His empirical research has centered on the information content of accounting ratios in predicting equity market returns in industrialized countries, explaining equity returns in Asian countries after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the diversification benefits of Japanese real estate, the wealth of effects of the deregulation of the US financial industry and modeling the volatility of emerging equity markets. His theoretical research includes works on the question of how the aging populations of the industrialized world affect equity market risk premiums. Dr. Maroney teaches corporate finance principles, and advanced graduate courses in investments and econometrics.

M. KABIR HASSAN, Ph.D. is a financial economist with teaching and research experiences in banking and finance, emerging market issues and Islamic finance. He is widely published in academic and non-academic journals. He has consulting experiences with the USAID, the World Bank, IDB, ICDT, Government of Bangladesh, USIA and the Nathan Associates. Dr. Hassan visited International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Federal Reserve of New York as Visiting Scholar. Dr. Hassan earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics with Phi Beta Kappa Honors from Gustavus Adolphus College, a M.A. in Economics from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Ph.D. in Finance from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Hassan has been with UNO since 1990. He also taught at Drexel University, American University-Beirut, Lebanon and North South University, Bangladesh. Dr. Hassan’s primary teaching responsibilities are in the area of financial markets and institutions, corporate finance and international finance. Dr. Hassan has been the President of Academy of International Business-SW, Association for Economic and Development Studies on Bangladesh (AEDSB), and Southwestern Society of Economists (SSE).

JANET F. SPEYRER, PH.D. is Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Economics in the College of Business Administration at the University of New Orleans (UNO). She earned a B.A. (cum laude) in Mathematics and Economics from Rice University in 1976 and an M.A. (in 1979) and Ph.D. (in 1982) in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Speyrer has served on the faculty of Tulane University and on the staff of the Office of Tax Analysis at the U.S. Treasury Department, where she participated in the development and evaluation of tax policy. She has published in professional journals in urban economics and public finance and conducted various studies of local interest. She recently served as president of the Association for University Business and Economic Research, a professional association comprised of business research organizations in universities nationwide.

Elizabeth SPRINGLER, Ph.D. Marshallplan Chair 2008/09, Metropolitan College, adjunct to the Department of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans, LA; Assistant Professor Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Vienna, Austria. Dr. Springler specializes on monetary theory and policy, banking regulation and aspects of the housing finance sector with a strong emphasis on European Integration. Currently she teaches at the University of New Orleans Macroeconomics, European Union Economics and Monetary Theory. In her area of specialization she has published numerous articles in Austrian and International journals. Recently she has worked on consulting projects for the Styrian State Government (Austrian State) and Austrian Non-profit housing organizations, evaluating housing allowance programs, and for various Austrian National Public Enterprises in the course of their privatization.

NOCBE PANEL:

MICHAEL T. JOHNSON. Managing Director, Advantage Capital Partners Mr. Johnson is an experienced venture capitalist and a specialized transactions attorney. Active in capital-raising transactions, regulatory compliance and government relations, he plays an integral role in the firm's efforts under the New Markets Tax Credit Program, including sourcing debt and equity transactions and providing oversight. An honors graduate of Stanford School of Law, Mr. Johnson was a member of the Order of the Coif, the most prestigious national legal honor society. He earned an A.B. degree from Harvard College, graduating cum laude.

MICHAEL A. MITTERNIGHT. Owner & President, Factory Service Agency Inc. With a BS in Biology and a Masters in Public Health, Mr. Mitternight headed several divisions in Louisiana State Department of Health before joining the family business in 1978. He has grown FAS by 500% and employees 12, as he prepares to pass the company to the next generation. Mr. Mitternight is Past Chairman of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Small Business Association, and serves on the Jefferson Parish Workforce Development Board.

ERNEST J. REILLY. President, TEEM Educational Foundation LLC Mr. Reilly is the developer of a unique Modular Training System for entrepreneurs. He has trained over 1,200 business owners and counseled more than 580 businesses including start-ups, expansions and redevelopments. His weekly radio program “Today’s Money Makers” provides valuable information and resources to the business community. A graduate of the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology in Aberdeen, Scotland, he is licensed in securities and insurance, and provides educational services through Louisiana’s network of Small Business Development Centers and the SBA.

GUY WILLIAMS, President and CEO, Gulf Coast Bank