Western Insights: Regional Employment Expectations

Dr. Hart Hodges is Co-Director of Western's Center for Economic and Business Research. He received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1994 from the University of Washington. He joined the faculty at Western in the Fall of 2000. His research interests include natural resource and environmental economics, health economics, and applied business economics. Hart is currently managing several research projects and public service efforts with an emphasis on economic development.

Dr. Sharon Shewmake is both a professor at WWU and Washington State Representative from Whatcom County where she is Vice Chair of the Rural Development, Agriculture and Natural Resources committee, and sits on the Energy and Environment and Transportation committees. Dr. Shewmake received her Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of California, Davis and her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Policy and Economics from Duke University.

Dr. Shewmake also sits on the COVID economic recovery group in the Washington State legislature and her research examines how our transportation and housing decisions impact the environment. She has examined the implication of policies meant to reduce air pollution and congestion such as High Occupancy Vehicle lanes and how consumers respond to environmental labels including labels for agricultural products.

Don Goldberg is the Director of Economic Development for the Port of Bellingham. Don has an extensive background in commercial real estate and development, business and economic development, sustainability and executive coaching. The Port of Bellingham is a County-wide Port and is the designated Associated Development Organization, a local arm of the Washington state Department of Commerce, for Whatcom County.  

As the lead development agency for the County, Don’s team actively partners with the private, public, and nonprofit sectors and connects businesses to economic development and workforce resources throughout Whatcom County. Through retention and expansion efforts, the team helps companies stay in the region and facilitates industry growth while striving to bring in new industries and firms that offer higher living wage jobs. The team is currently working hard on multiple programs and projects related to the COVID-19 outbreak, including the administration of small business grants such as Whatcom ReStart.