Rik Hafer is the Distinguished Research Professor of Economics and Finance and chair of the Department of Economics and Finance at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Dr. Hafer worked in the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis from 1979 to 1989, rising to the position of research officer. He has taught at several institutions, including Saint Louis University and Washington University–Saint Louis, the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Since joining SIUE he also has served as a consultant to the Central Bank of the Philippines, as a research fellow with the Institute of Urban Research (SIUE), and as a visiting scholar with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He has published nearly 100 academic articles, and is the author, coauthor, or editor of five books on monetary policy and financial markets. Most recently, he co-authored The Stock Market, published in 2007. In addition to his academic work, he is a regular columnist for the Illinois Business Journal and the St. Louis Beacon, and has written many opinion pieces appearing in the Wall Street Journal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the St. Louis Business Journal. He also has appeared on local and national television programs, including CNBC's "Power Lunch." Dr. Hafer received his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and his Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Tech.
