Realty411 Magazine A Spotlight on Charles and Lena Sells | Page 36
Christopher Thornberg, PhD
Founding Partner
Office: 310.571.3399
Cell: 310.739.3286
[email protected]
.
Christopher Thornberg founded
Beacon Economics LLC in 2006.
Under his leadership the firm has
become one of the most respected
research organizations in
California serving public and
private sector clients across the
United States. In 2015, Dr.
Thornberg also became Director of
the UC Riverside School of
Business Center for Economic
Forecasting and Development and
an Adjunct Professor at the
School.
An expert in economic and
revenue forecasting, regional
economics, economic policy, and
labor and real estate markets, Dr.
Thornberg has consulted for
private industry, cities, counties,
and public agencies in Los
Angeles, San Francisco and the
Bay Area, San Diego, the Inland
Empire, Seattle, Orange County,
Sacramento, Nevada, and other
geographies across the nation.
Recent and ongoing projects
include an analysis of minimum
wage programs for the City of Los
Angeles; housing and rent control
studies for the California
Apartment Association; quarterly
regional economic outlooks for the
East Bay Economic Development
Alliance; a recession recovery plan
for the City and County of San
Francisco; an annual economic
assessment of LA’s city council
districts for the Los Angeles Area
Chamber of Commerce; an analysis
of the local technology industry for
the Santa Cruz County Workforce
Development Board; and economic
impact studies for the 2024 Los
Angeles Olympic Games
Committee and the University of
Southern California.
Dr. Thornberg became nationally
known for forecasting the subprime
mortgage market crash that began in
2007, and was one of the few
economists on record to predict the
global economic recession that
followed. In 2015, he was named to
California State Treasurer John
Chiang’s Council of Economic
Advisors, the body that advises the
Treasurer on emerging strengths and
vulnerabilities within the state’s
economy. From 2008 to 2012, he
served as economic advisor to the
California State Controller’s Office,
and as Chair of then State Controller
John Chiang’s Council of Economic
Advisors.
Well known for his ability to
capture and hold audiences, Dr.
Thornberg has presented to
hundreds of leading business,
government, and nonprofit
organizations across the globe
including Chevron, The New
Yorker, Colliers International, the
California Chamber of Commerce,
City National Bank, the California
State Association of Counties, State
Farm Insurance, the City of Los
Angeles, the California and Nevada
Credit Union League, and the
National Steel and Shipbuilding
Company, among many others. He
has testified before the U.S.
Congress House Committee on
36
Financial Services on municipal
debt issues, before the California
State Assembly Committee on
Revenue and Taxation regarding
rule changes related to
Proposition 13, and before the
Los Angeles City Council about
proposed changes to local
minimum wage laws.
Dr. Thornberg is a panel
member of the National
Association of Business
Economists’ quarterly
“Outlook,” and a contributor to
monthly economics polls
published by Reuters. He also
serves on the Boards of Directors
of both the California Chamber
of Commerce and the Los
Angeles Area Chamber of
Commerce, and is an Executive
Member of the Central City
Association (Los Angeles). Prior
to launching Beacon Economics
Dr. Thornberg was a senior
economist with UCLA’s
Anderson Forecast. He
previously taught in the MBA
program at UCLA’s Anderson
School, in the Rady School of
Business at UC San Diego, and
at Thammasat University in
Bangkok, Thailand. He has also
held a faculty position in the
economics department at
Clemson University.
A wellknown media
commentator, Dr. Thornberg has
appeared on CNN and NPR and
is regularly quoted in major
national dailies including the
Wall Street Journal and New
York Times.
Originally from upstate New
York, Dr. Thornberg holds a
Ph.D in Business Economics
from The Anderson School at
UCLA, and a B.S. degree in
Business Administration from
the State University of New York
at Buffalo.