DBER came into existence more than 60 years ago, and since starting in December, Dr. Bustamante has been working on enhancing the division's identity. This research program focuses on crafting a relationship between the economy and the community.

Dr. Bustamante is making sure that the program’s identity will firstly be “ultimately based on our [UNO’s] ability to be the go-to authority when it comes to the economic well-being of the city," and secondly, will be "a source that enables the broader public to better engage with the policymakers and the conversations and the discourse associated with our economy.”

DBER works alongside the City of New Orleans, GNO, Inc., regional authorities and the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Commerce Department. Working with a multitude of agencies allows DBER to be part of the conversation, actively shape our understanding of the economy, guide policies forward and allows UNO to draw funding from them to support research initiatives.

 

DBER is currently working on a project with The Beach, UNO’s premier research and technology park, and a consortium of universities in New Orleans to study the impacts of wind energy development in the region. While the project is rich in the sciences, DBER is researching the workforce implications for wind energy development and the ways that local residents can be part of the project to make sure that there are tangible community benefits from the development. The deployment of the project is still in the early stages, but Dr. Bustamante believes the beginning is valuable because “we can be on the ground floor, and as it develops, we can be sure equity is centered and that community engagement is being centered.” This plan is a multi-year process, and UNO is involved in building the project from the ground up, which is important because it enables us to make the foundation strong. 

 

DBER has plans for the near future, too. Dr. Bustamante plans to complete bi-annual reports on the local economy and do industry features to create unity within large businesses. Working closely with GNO, Inc., he hopes to create industry dashboards for people to have access to actionable information regarding workforce and investment dynamics in the economy. Dr. Bustamante believes that being present in the community and benefiting the community are some of the main priorities in building a brand for DBER at UNO.