TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Sara Johnson, managing director of the Global Macroeconomics Group at Global Insight (formerly DRI•WEFA), will present the U.S. Economic Outlook at the 2004 Economic Outlook Conference, presented by The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

The conference is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery.

Johnson’s role is to help Global Insight’s clients assess worldwide business and financial risks and opportunities. The Global Macroeconomics Group provides economic forecasts and analyses of more than 150 countries as well as research studies of critical economic issues. She is also responsible for Global Insight’s Consumer Markets Service.

Johnson previously served as North American research director and chief regional economist with Standard & Poor’s DRI. As research director, she managed the U.S. Macro, U.S. Regional, U.S. Industry, Cost Forecasting, and Canadian services and served on Standard & Poor’s five-member economic council.

Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics from Wellesley College and a master’s in economics from Harvard University with concentrations in finance and macroeconomic theory.

Drayton Nabers, the state’s director of finance, will be the luncheon speaker. Nabers retired in 2001 as chief executive officer of Protective Life Insurance after working for the company for 23 years. Before joining Protective Life, Nabers was a partner in the law firm of Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas and O’Neal. Nabers holds an A.B. degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Yale School of Law. He served as a law clerk for United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black.

Carl Ferguson, director of UA’s Center for Business and Economic Research, will address the Alabama Outlook.

Conference sponsors this year include Alabama Power Co.; Compass Bank; Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama; Sterne, Agee & Leach Inc.; United Parcel Service; and Vulcan Materials Co.

The conference registration fee is $95, which includes the Alabama Economic Outlook 2004, conference materials and lunch.

For more information, phone 205/348-6191 or e-mail uacber@cba.ua.edu.

CBER is Alabama’s central reservoir for business, economic and demographic data. Since its creation in 1930, CBER has engaged in research programs to promote economic development in the state, while continuously expanding and refining its broad base of socioeconomic information. To forecast the level of activity in Alabama, CBER developed an econometric model of the state. Beginning in 1980, output from the model has been published in the annual Alabama Economic Outlook series.