The David Eccles School of Business is pleased to announce the appointment of James A. Wood as the Ivory-Boyer Senior Fellow at The Policy Institute at the University of Utah. In this role Mr. Wood will specialize in research, analysis and commentary on the housing, construction and real estate industries, as well as the Utah economy. He will provide research expertise for the Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center within the Eccles School and continue to serve in a leadership role at The Policy Institute.
“The community recognizes Jim as a leading analyst on Utah’s housing and construction industries and as an expert on the Utah economy,” said Natalie Gochnour, associate dean at the Eccles School and director of The Policy Institute. “This appointment is a recognition of Jim’s extraordinary contribution over the past four decades to increased understanding about Utah’s real estate industry. It also reaffirms the Eccles School’s commitment to an expanded real estate research effort and to providing the data, research and analysis Utah decision makers need.”
Mr. Wood has published more than 100 articles and studies related to the Utah economy. For the past 13 years, he has directed the Bureau of Economic and Business Research. His expertise includes housing markets, community development, regional economics and economic development. Mr. Wood will continue to serve as a member of the Utah Economic Council and on the board of the Salt Lake Home Builders Association, State of Utah Revenue Assumptions Working Group, Salt Lake County Housing Trust Fund and NeighborWorks Salt Lake.
In this new role, Mr. Wood will work closely with the Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center and the Masters in Real Estate Development Program within the David Eccles School of Business to enhance education and research opportunities for students and business professionals. This appointment will support the Eccles School’s mission to train real estate professionals and provide research and data that helps with the industry’s success.
“We have made this appointment with an understanding that the Utah economy will benefit from even more of Jim’s specialized work in this area,” said David Eccles School of Business Dean Taylor Randall. “We know housing and construction are vital to the Utah economy, and we want people to have the information they need to make informed real estate decisions.”
Mr. Wood is a graduate of the University of Utah with a B.S. in finance and four years of graduate study in economics. He joined the business school in 1975 and served as director of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research from 2002 to 2015.