Prepare your business for 2026 by attending our Housing Economics presentation to know what is on the horizon for our economy. UT Professor Emeritus Bill Fox will discuss the Tennessee & local economy while NAHB Chief Economist Rob Dietz will give an insightful view of macro economics, industry issues, policy, and the Fed. Both speakers will deliver graphic illustrations of their data during the presentation and there may be the opportunity for Q & A if time allows.

Robert Dietz

Chief Economist
Senior Vice President, Economics and Housing Policy
Robert D. Dietz, Ph.D., is the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Economics and Housing Policy for NAHB, where his responsibilities include housing market analysis, economic forecasting and industry surveys, and housing policy research.

Dr. Dietz has published academic research on the private and social benefits of homeownership, federal tax expenditure estimation, and other housing and tax issues in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Housing Research, the National Tax Journal and the NBER Working Paper series. He has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy on housing and economic issues.

Prior to joining NAHB in 2005, Dr. Dietz worked as an economist for the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, specializing in revenue estimation of legislative proposals involving housing, urban development, and other business tax issues. He is a native of Dayton, Ohio and holds a doctorate in Economics from Ohio State University.

Dr. William Fox

Boyd Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Special Advisor to the UTK Chancellor
Dr. Fox has held visiting appointments as Professor at the University of Hawaii, scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and Distinguished Fulbright Chair at the University of Frankfurt, Germany. In addition, he has served as a consultant in over 40 countries and 15 U.S. states on a wide range of public policy issues. Dr. Fox is a member of the American Economics Association and past President and recipient of the Steven D. Gold Award from the National Tax Association.

Expertise:
Economic Development, Public Economics & Taxation

Education:
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, B.A., Business
Ohio State University, M.A., Economics
Ohio State University, Ph.D., Economics

Awards/Honors

• 2013 Macebearer, The University of Tennessee
• Chancellor's Professor
• Randy and Jenny Boyd Distinguished Professor of Business
• Ergen Distinguished Professor of Business
• Ray and Joan Myatt Outstanding Teaching, Research and Service Award