Contact Economic Analysis

Meet MMB's Economists

Dr. Anthony Becker, State Economist

Dr. Anthony Becker is a Professor of Economics at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where he has been on the faculty since 1987. At St. Olaf, he has served as the Husby-Johnson Professor of Business and Economics from 2016 to 2019, chair of the Economics Department from 2012 to 2020, and as the chair of numerous faculty committees. He has also worked as a consultant in economic analysis in antitrust and as an expert witness in economic damages. His expertise is in econometrics, particularly in the analysis and forecasting of time-series data. In addition, Dr. Becker has expertise in the field of industrial organization – particularly in the economics of antitrust and regulation – and in the field of public finance.

Economic issues in Latin America are an area of professional research interest of Dr. Becker’s. He has been a visiting professor at the Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica and an affiliate faculty member at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Santa Fe, Argentina. He has also led off-campus classes to Argentina exploring that country’s policies towards and production of agricultural commodities for export.

Dr. Becker holds a Ph.D. and a M.A. in economics, both from Duke University, and a B.A. with Honors in Economics from the University of Maryland at College Park. A published author, he is a member of the American Economic Association, American Society of Hispanic Economists, and Western Economic Association International.

For interview requests or other media inquiries, please contact Anthony at Anthony.D.Becker@state.mn.us or (651) 201-8222.

Amanda Imes, Manager of the Economic Analysis Unit

Amanda Imes is the manager of Economic Analysis Unit at Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB). This team is responsible for producing the forecast of Minnesota's State General Fund revenues, as well as providing updates and analysis on the U.S. and MN Economic Outlook. In addition, the team is responsible measuring forecast accuracy, and providing an updated report on the volatility of Minnesota tax revenues used to estimate an appropriate size for the Budget Reserve.

Ms. Imes is also an adjunct professor at the College of St. Scholastica where she teaches Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota and undergraduate degree in Economics from Carthage College.

Please contact Amanda at Amanda.Imes@state.mn.us or (651) 201-8013.

Lyle Anderson, Economist

Lyle Anderson is an economist in the Economic Analysis division at MMB. He assists in modeling income tax withholding and sales tax receipts, revenue forecasting, and other analysis in support of the twice yearly state revenue forecast. He also helps write and prepare documents and communication materials, including summaries of the state and national economic outlook.

Lyle holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Economics from Bowdoin College.

Please contact Lyle at Lyle.Anderson@state.mn.us.

Susan Weerts, Economist

Susan Weerts is an economist in the Economic Analysis division at MMB. She assists in modeling income tax withholding and corporate tax, revenue forecasting, and other analysis in support of the twice-yearly state revenue forecast.

Susan holds a Ph.D in Economics from the Rutgers University. She has double master’s degrees: an M. S. in Economics from Rutgers University and an M.B.S. in Maritime Management from Maine Maritime Academy, and an undergraduate degree in Logistics Engineering from Shanghai Maritime University. She completed CFA level I and level II. Her primary research Interests include time series analysis, capital market outlook and macroeconomics forecasting.

Please contact Susan at Susan.Weerts@state.mn.us

Alex Chase, Economist

Alex Chase is an economist in MMB's Economic Analysis division. He prepares forecasts for sales tax receipts, deed and mortgage taxes, and insurance premium taxes.

Alex holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Food Business Management, both from the University of Minnesota.

Please contact Alex at Alex.Chase@state.mn.us or (651) 259-3620

Forecast Questions / Data Requests

Thank you for your interest in economic or tax revenue data about Minnesota.

For general data requests or forecast questions, please e-mail your question to oea.mmb@state.mn.us. Emailing this general account ensures the quickest response to your question. A staff member will typically respond to your email within 2-5 days. Legislative and state agency requests will be prioritized.

If your question is specific to our state revenue estimates or Minnesota economic forecast, you may wish to contact the respective Economic Analysis economist directly using the tabs above.

Presentation Requests

Thank you for your interest in a presentation from Economic Analysis (EA) at Minnesota Management & Budget. EA economists are available for presentations on topics related to the U.S. economy, Minnesota economy, and state tax revenue forecasts.

To schedule a speaker, we ask that you please complete a presentation request form and email it to oea.mmb@state.mn.us. Please allow one week for your presentation request to be considered. Requests received at least 2-3 months prior to the event are strongly encouraged.

Note: Because EA has a small staff and limited resources, not all requests can be accommodated.