The public is invited to attend a special presentation by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on Howard Payne University’s campus November 29. The presentation, “Dialogue with the Dallas Fed,” will be held in the Bullion Suites of the Mabee University Center from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Highlighting the program will be Thomas F. Siems, senior economist and director of economic outreach in the Financial Institution Relationship Management Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. In this capacity, he partners with economists in the Fed to gather information on emerging trends and policy issues of interest to financial institutions in Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico. He also oversees economic outreach that provides additional opportunities to listen to and learn from the region’s constituents. Siems also teaches operations research and management sciences courses for Southern Methodist University. He has published more than 50 articles in various academic journals, books and Federal Reserve publications. Siems earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and master’s and doctoral degrees in operations research from SMU. He is also a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Public Finance Institute, the University of Colorado’s Graduate School of Banking and SMU’s Graduate Marketing Certificate program.

Also speaking will be Stephen M. Clayton, economic education specialist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He is responsible for researching and developing technology-driven resources to enhance understanding of economics and personal finance. His particular focus is the secondary classroom. Clayton has a bachelor’s degree from Austin College with a focus on economics, philosophy and mathematics and has done post-graduate work in economics at the University of North Texas.

“We hope the public will seize this unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with the distinguished guests from our regional Federal Reserve Bank,” said Dr. Les Plagens, dean of HPU’s School of Business. “This should be of importance not only to students, but to anyone with an interest in economics.”

Originally scheduled for September, the presentation was rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances. The event is free of charge. For more information or to reserve a seat, contact Mary Hill, administrative assistant for HPU’s School of Business, at (325) 649-8704 or via e-mail at mhill@hputx.edu.