Greg Alward 3

Greg Alward is internationally recognized as a leader with than 45 years of research and development experience in regional input-output accounting and modeling, studies in the economics of tourism and outdoor recreation, and policy analysis applied in both public and private sector issues. Greg has held analyst positions with federal, state and local governments, owner/analyst positions with private sector businesses, and research/manager positions with academic institutions.

Greg is currently a Senior Research Scientist with the Policy Analysis Group, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho undertaking a research program to evaluate the contributions that natural resources and tourism make to Idaho’s economy. Greg is also an adjunct faculty member with the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, advising UNCC and the State of North Carolina on methods to evaluate economic development proposals. Greg founded the Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, a non-profit research and education organization to further applied regional science research. As Chair of the Board of Trustees, Greg directs the Alward Institute’s current research projects including creating open-source protocols for assembling social accounting databases of sub-national regional economies that can be applied throughout the world. These social accounting databases can be combined with standard open-source protocols for building regional I-O and CGE models for assessing the sub-national economic impacts of proposed actions. These regional social accounts include detailed treatment of tourism and outdoor recreation activities to encourage robust assessments of these sectors. Current applied studies by the Alward Institute include assessing the economic impacts of unplanned events (natural and human-caused disasters), the economic impacts of public sector programs and policies (land management activities, transportation and infrastructure investments, and development proposals), and the economic impacts of travel and tourism. Greg has always provided collaborative leadership for innovative product research, development and delivery strategies for a broad range of business-to-business, NGO, academic, public sector, and end-user products.

He was awarded the "Distinguished Fellow Award" from the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association (MCRSA) June 2016.

Appointments:

· Senior Research Scientist, Policy Analysis Group, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho; November 2016 to Present

· Founder, CEO and Chair, Board of Trustees, Alward Institute for Collaborative Science, Huntersville, NC, now located in Pullman, WA; November 2014 to Present

· Director of Economic Research and Development and Chief Innovations Officer, Owner, and Board Member of IMPLAN Group LLC, Huntersville, NC; June 2013 -
  December 2015

   o Responsible for product innovation, development, application, training and support of all IMPLAN software and data products and services for IMPLAN Group
      LLC

· Director of Economics Research and Development and Vice President, and Owner Minnesota IMPLAN Group (MIG, Inc.), Hudson, WI; August 2006 - June 2013

   o Responsible for the development, application, training and support of all IMPLAN software and data products and services for MIG, Inc.

· Assistant Director, Ecosystem Management Planning Staff, US Dept of Agriculture, Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO; August 1987 - August 2006

  o Principal economist responsible for the development, application, training and application of economic analysis techniques to land management planning issues;
     Assistant Director, USFS Inventory and Monitoring Institute.

· Research Forester, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, US Dept of Agriculture, Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO; May 1976 - August 1987

  o Lead scientist for regional economics and knowledge-based systems research and staff specialist for the development, application training and support of
     resource analysis techniques for land management planning.


During his 30 year career with the USDA Forest Service, Dr. Alward served in many roles including Assistant Director of the National Ecosystem Management Coordination Staff and the National Planning Systems Analysis Group located in Washington, DC.  Greg provided analytical advice and support throughout the federal government, state and local government cooperators, foreign governments, and private and academic partners.  In Fort Collins, Colorado at the Forest Service detached Washington, DC office, Greg served as the Forest Service National Assistant Director of the Inventory and Monitoring Institute and also as the National Human Dimensions Coordinator.  At the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, he was a noted Research Forestor, Operations Research Analyst and Policy Analyst.

 
Dr. Alward has been integral to the IMPLAN system and data since its inception in the 1970s.  As IMPLAN's principle designer and creator, Greg coined the name "IMPLAN" for the system in 1977.  To meet federal requirements, he designed and implemented several versions of IMPLAN, worked with contractors and partners in the development of the software system databases, led and collaborated with numerous federal, state and foreign partners on impact studies and policy evaluations.  Greg designed and conducted training programs oriented around using IMPLAN for a variety of policy studies.  He also led the federal effort to "privatize" IMPLAN which resulted in the creation of MIG, Inc. in 1993.  Greg continued to provide federal requirements and enhancement guidance to MIG, Inc. regarding the IMPLAN system until his retirement from the federal government service in 2006.  Dr. Alward's leadership was instrumental in MIG's product research, development and delivery strategies related to the IMPLAN economic impact analysis system.
 

Education:

  • Colorado State University, PhD, Forest Economics, 1980
  • Colorado State University, M.S., Recreation Resources, Regional Resource Planning, 1975
  • Grand Valley State University,  B.S., Environmental Sciences, 1973

 For a limited list of selected publications, presentations and classes for Dr. Alward, please select "read more."

 

Alward, Gregory S. 2014. “VLS-IMPLAN: Very Large Scale Social Accounting Systems Derived Using IMPLAN.”  Mid-Continent Regional Science Association and IMPLAN User’s Joint Conference, Madison, WI, June 2-5, 2014.

Alward, Gregory S. 2013. “IMPLAN Web Services API for Assessing Indirect Economic Effects of Hazard Events using FEMA’s HAZUS System.”  National HAZUS Users Conference, Indianapolis, IN, August 5-7, 2013.

Alward, Gregory S. 2013. “A System to Measure the Complete Supply Chain Labor Content of Domestically Produced Goods and Services.”  North American Regional Science Association Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 13-16, 2013.

Alward, Gregory S. 2013. “Workshop: IMPLAN Applications for US Department of Interior.”  Office of the Secretary, Policy Analysis, U.S. Department of Interior, Washington, DC, October 28-30, 2013.

Alward, Gregory S. 2013. “Integrating IMPLAN with State Economics Research Organization Databases”.  AUBER (Association of University Business Economics Researchers), Richmond, VA, October 13-15-16, 2013.

Alward, Gregory S. 2013. “IMPLAN Data Services.”  National Association of Business Economists, Federal Data Services and Economics Statistics Conference, Washington, DC, August 29-30, 2013.

Alward, Gregory S., Thomas Rutherford, Alex Meeraus. 2013. “35 Years of IMPLAN, GAMS and CGE.”  Presidential Symposium, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, Minneapolis, MN, June 5-7, 2013.

Case, Pamela and Gregory S. Alward, 1998. “Economic and Demographic Profile of the West: Report to the Western Water Policy Review Congressional Commission." US Bureau of Reclaimation, Denver, CO.

McKean, John R., R. Garth Taylor, Greg Alward, and Robert A. Young. 1997.  “Adapting Synthesized Input-Output Models for Small Natural Resource-Based Regions: A Case Study.”  Society & Natural Resources (in press).

Alward, Gregory S. 1996. “Deriving Social Accounting Matrix Multiplier Models Using IMPLAN”. 1996 National IMPLAN Conference, Minneapolis MN, August 15-16, 1996.

Sullivan, B. Jay, Daniel A. McCollum and Gregory S. Alward. 1996.  “Regional Computable Equilibrium Models Based on IMPLAN Social Accounts: Experiments in Arizona and New Mexico.”  1996 National IMPLAN Conference, Minneapolis, MN, August 15-16, 1996.

Shields, Debora J., Susan A. Winter, Gregory S. Alward, and Kathy L. Hartung. 1996.  "Energy and Mineral Industries in National, Regional, and State Economies."  General Technical Report FPL-GTR-95.  Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 82 p.

Shields, Deborah J., Brian Kent, Gregory Alward, and Carlos Gonzalez-Vicente. 1993. "Economic, Social and Ecological Indices for Natural Resource Sustainability Evaluation."  Making Sustainability Operational: Fourth Mexico/U.S. Symposium 1993.  April 19-23; Santa Fe, NM, December 1993.  Manzanilla, Hugo; Shaw, Douglas; Aguirre-Bravo, Celedonio; Iglesias Gutierrez, Leonel; Hamre, R.H., technical coordinators, 1993, General Technical Report RM-240. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, pp. 14-20.

McCollum, Daniel W., Gregory S. Alward, and Susan A. Winter. 1993.  "Accounting for Environmental Infrastructure in Sustainable Economic Development: A Conceptual Framework."  Making Sustainability Operational: Fourth Mexico/U.S. Symposium 1993.  April 19-23; Santa Fe, NM, December 1993.  Manzanilla, Hugo; Shaw, Douglas; Aguirre-Bravo, Celedonio; Iglesias Gutierrez, Leonel; Hamre, R.H., technical coordinators, 1993.  General Technical Report RM-240. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, pp. 150-157

Alward, Gregory S., William G. Workman, and Wilbur R. Maki. 1992. "Regional Economic Impact Analysis for Alaskan Wildlife Resources."  Valuing Wildlife Resources in Alaska, George L. Peterson, Cindy Sorg Swanson, Daniel W. McCollum and Michael H. Thomas, eds., Westview Press, Boulder, CO.

McCollum, Daniel W., Alward, Gregory S., and William G. Workman. 1992. "Developing a Study Plan: The Economic Impact of Wildlife in Alaska."  Valuing Wildlife Resources in Alaska, George L. Peterson, Cindy Sorg Swanson, Daniel W. McCollum and Michael H. Thomas, eds., Westview Press, Boulder, CO, pp. 313-336.

Alward, G.S. R. Lichty, W. Maki, and K. Westeren. 1992. "Social Accounting System for a Natural Resource-Based Regional Economy."  Presented at the Mid-Continent Regional Science Association Meetings, Stillwater, OK, June 4-6, 1992.

Wagner, John E., Steven C. Deller, and Greg Alward. 1992. "Estimating Economic Impacts Using Industry and Household Expenditures."  Journal of the Community Development Society, Vol. 23, No. 2: 79-102.

Alward, G.S., W. Maki, and E. Siverts. 1990. "Agricultural Policy Evaluations Using IMPLAN."  Proceedings of the American Economics Association Meeting, October 11-13, 1990, Williamsburg VA.

Schweitzer, D., F. Norbury and G.S. Alward. 1990. "Economic Efficiency and National Forest Planning."  Economic Valuation of Natural Resources, Rebecca L. Johnson and Gary V. Johnson, eds., pp. 43-50, Westview Press, Boulder, CO.

Teeter, L. and G.S. Alward. 1989. "Interregional Impacts of Forest-based Economic Activity."   Forest Science, 35(2): 515-531.

Alward, G.S.  "IMPLAN Version 2.0: Constructing Regional Social Accounts with Data Reduction Methods."  USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-000, 00p. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.

Alward, G.S.  "IMPLAN Version 2.0: The 1982 Database for Constructing Regional Economic Accounts."  USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-000, 00p. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.

Alward, G.S. and K. Despotakis.  "IMPLAN Version 2.0: Data Reduction Methods for Constructing Regional Economic Accounts."  USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-000, 00p.  Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.

Isserman, A., R. Begg, and G.S. Alward.  "Methods for Multiregional Analysis with IMPLAN."  USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-000, 00p.  Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.

Alward, G.S. 1987. "A Generalized System for Regional Input-Output Analysis of Natural Resource Issues."  SAF Symposium on Systems Analysis in Forest Resource Management.

Alward, G.S. 1987. "Social Implications of Multiple-Use Forestry: Methods and Findings."  Proceedings of the VIII  IUFRO World Congress.

Alward, G.S. 1986. "Local and Regional Impacts of Outdoor Recreation Development."  President's Commission on Americans Outdoors: A Literature Review, December, 1986, pp. 47-57.

Alward, G.S. B.J. Sullivan and T.W. Hoekstra. 1985. "Using Socioeconomic Data in the Management of Fishing and Hunting."  Transactions of the 49th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, pp 91-103.

Dyer, A.A., J.G. Hof, J.W. Kelly, G.S. Alward, and S.A. Crim. 1983. "Implications of Goal Programming in Forest Resource Allocation: A Reply."  Forest Science, 29(4):837-840.

Hof, J.G., L.A. Joyce, G.S. Alward, and T.W. Hoekstra. 1983. "Multilevel Analysis of Forest and Rangeland Resources."  F.J. Wagstaff, ed., Proceedings -- Range Economics Symposium and Workshop: August 30 - September 2, 1982, USDA Forest Service General Technical Report, INT-SIS. Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.

Alward, G.S and C.J. Palmer. 1982. "IMPLAN: An Input-Output Analysis System for Forest Service Planning."  R. Seppala, C. Row and A. Morgan, eds., Forest Sector Models: Proceedings of the First North American Conference, AB Academic Publishers.

Alward, G.S. 1980.  "Evaluation Model for Regional Economic Aspects of Forest Service Land Management Policies."  PhD Dissertation, Colorado State University.

Dyer, A.A., J.G. Hof, J.W. Kelly, S.A. Crim and G.S. Alward. 1979.  "Implications of Goal Programming in Forest Resource Allocation."  Forest Science, 25(4):535-543.

Alward, G.S. and W.L. Stewart. 1979. "Economic Impact Procedure of RARE II."  D.L. Erickson, ed., Proceedings: Land Use Planning Workshop, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1978. "Silviculture and Non-Point Pollution Abatement--A Cost-Effectiveness Procedure."  (Principal author for the USDA-EPA interagency publication).