Economics Newsletter

April, 2008                                                                                                                 Spring Issue

Housing Market Expert Dr. Ellen Roche to speak at
ODE Induction Dinner

We are delighted that Dr. Ellen Roche, a member of the Maxwell School’s Board of Visitors, will be guest speaker at this year’s Omicron Delta Epsilon dinner.  Dr. Roche has spent more than two decades analyzing real estate markets.  Until 2005, she served as Vice President, Research for the National Association of Realtors®. In that position, she managed a large research program on real estate transactions, mortgage markets, and housing finance trends.  Previously, Dr. Roche served as Director of Corporate Relations for Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise that buys mortgages and resells them as mortgage-backed securities.

       Currently, Dr. Roche teaches economics at the Johns Hopkins University Institute of Policy Studies in Baltimore, Maryland. She also consults on topics related to housing and housing finance.  Dr. Roche earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.  She holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor's Degree from Cornell University.

      Given the current crisis in national housing and credits markets, we are fortunate that Dr. Roche will be able to share her insights with us at the ODE dinner.  Students attending the dinner are sure to gain insight into these important economic events as they unfold.  The ODE dinner on April 17 honors all students who have been inducted into this national honor society.  We will be inducting approximately 20 new members and announcing the recipient of the Joanne Heffernan Heisen Award for Undergraduate Achievement in Economics.  

      Dr. Roche will also be sharing her views on community engagement and service.  She currently serves as Board Chair of For Love of Children, a non-profit organization that offers educational services to high-risk children and youth. In this capacity, she manages fundraising initiatives to return the organization to financial sustainability, while updating its governance and program development. She is also Treasurer of the Women in Housing and Finance Foundation that helps women and their families in the Washington, D.C. area by providing charitable services and educational activities, particularly financial literacy.