Florida Realtors® Announces New Chief Economist

ORLANDO, Florida, February 29, 2016 — Florida Realtors® announces Dr. Brad O'Connor is the state association's new chief economist and head of its Industry Data and Analysis department.

O'Connor joined Florida Realtors in 2011 to help form the new Industry Data and Analysis department, which provides Realtors, the media and the public with comprehensive Florida real estate statistics, as well as high-quality analysis of issues and trends impacting the state's economy and real estate industry. Prior to becoming chief economist, he was the director of economic research for Florida Realtors.

O'Connor's resume includes working on a large-scale, data-driven market and analysis project for The Walt Disney Company; serving as a graduate research fellow for The DeVoe L. Moore Center for the Study of Critical Issues in Economic Policy and Government atFlorida State University (FSU); and teaching undergraduate level economics courses at FSU, which earned him several nominations for FSU's Outstanding Teaching Award for graduate students and lecturers.

He has an undergraduate degree from Ohio State University; he earned his master's degree and doctoral degree in economics from FSU. O'Connor belongs to several professional associations in his field, including the American Economic Association, the National Association for Business Economics and the Urban Economics Association.

What draws O'Connor to economics and real estate data? He says he sees economics as the marriage of math – a subject he always excelled in – to a practical application of understanding the world. "Before I became an economics major, I was majoring in architecture," he recalls. "I've always been interested in architecture and housing. When I was little, we moved to the first house completed in a new neighborhood that was in the middle of being built – so I got to play on a lot of construction sites."

Looking to the future, O'Connor says he hopes to expand Florida Realtors real estate statistics and analyses in ways that are more accessible, interactive and customizable, thus increasing their value to Realtors and other stakeholders.

When not immersed in real estate data and trends, O'Connor stays busy at home with his family. He and his wife Pam are the proud parents of three daughters: Daphne, age 7, Athena, 2, and Sage, 10 months.

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 155,000 members in 55 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.