About this Event
Alex Albright is a research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’s Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute. She received a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Williams College and A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Harvard University, where her work was awarded prizes from the Horowitz Foundation. Her research concerns law and economics, inequality, and labor economics. Alex has examined topics like the use of algorithms in the justice system and programs to reduce the use of money bail. Her work has been covered in outlets like the New York Times and CNN.
Full Program Here
2026 Annual Conference – October 23, 2026
Kay Fredericks Ballroom (3rd Floor of Klas Center)
Hamline University
The Economic Implications of Technological Change
8:30-9:00am: Registration/Coffee
9:00-9:15am: Welcome/introductions
Dr. Stacie Bosley, Hamline University
9:15-10:15am: Walter Heller Lecture: Alex Albright (Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis)
Prediction Technologies in Human Decisions and Empirical Research
10:15-10:45 am: Student research posters and coffee break
10:45 am-noon: Panel discussion: The impact of AI on the labor market
Moderator: Jeff Horwich (Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis)
Panelists: Aaron Rosenthal (North Star Policy Action), Feyha Lokhandwala
(C.H. Robinson), Kyle Herkenhoff (University of Minnesota)
12:15 – 1:00 pm: Lunch, MEA Business Meeting, Student Paper & Poster Contest winners
1:00 – 2:00 pm: For students: Jobs in Economics Panel
Moderator: Louis Johnston (College of Saint Benedict & Saint John’s University)
Panelists: Genna Bohlman (Face Foundrie), Raul Fuentes-Diaz (Equitable Advisors), Anna Thom (Prenatal-to-3 Policy Center), Ava LaPlante (Center for Indian Country Development-Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank), Luke Salzwedel (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of MN) (location: Klass Center 3rd Floor)
For educators: The Price of Progress: AI, Productivity, and the Future of Labor
Session Description: Is adopting AI always worth the cost? This hands-on session models a classroom simulation in which teams must allocate limited resources, evaluate the benefits of AI, and make decisions about human and technological inputs. Participants will examine how AI affects productivity and why it may serve as either a substitute for or complement to labor. The session emphasizes economic reasoning and provides educators with an engaging way to connect foundational concepts to one of today’s most important changes in the workplace.
Facilitator(s): Minnesota Council on Economic Education (location: Klas Center 1st Floor)
2:00 - 3:00 pm: Student Social, organized by University Economics Clubs
Event venue & nearby stays
Hamline University: Klas Center, 1537 West Taylor Avenue, Saint Paul, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.