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ABOUT THE TEAM
Economics Team
Mark Sturton, Ph.D.
Economist
Dr. Mark Sturton has pursued a career in the macroeconomics of small developing nations predominantly in the Pacific Island region. In Lesotho he has been the team leader of the DIMMoL project designed to assist the government in the development of a set of economic models to improve budget formulation, economic management and policy making.
More InfoKevin O’Keefe
Economist
Kevin O'Keefe had a 22-year career in economic development from 1982-2004, starting as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Samoa and later working in 18 countries as an economic adviser. He specialized in macroeconomic policy, international trade and development finance.
More InfoEmil Friberg, Ph.D.
Economist
Dr. Emil Friberg is an economist who supports special projects and publications for the EconMAP program. In addition to his work with EconMAP, Emil also serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he teaches a seminar on Pacific Island issues. He retired in 2021 from the U.S. Government Accountability Office where he was an assistant director and senior economist.
More InfoGlenn Mckinlay
Statistician
Glenn McKinlay serves as the statistician for the EconMAP program. He has pursued a career in economic and social statistics, including collection, processing, analysis and dissemination. Glenn works closely with the statistics offices of the Freely Associated States to publish annual updates and build capacity.
More InfoMichael Barsabal
Statistician
Michael Barsabal is a statistician at EconMAP, specializing in economic statistics, national accounting, and input-output analysis. Before joining the program, he worked as a Division Chief and Economist at the Philippine Department of Finance (DOF), providing policy advice and technical support in analyzing emerging fiscal issues and other global, regional, and sectoral developments in the country. At the DOF, Michael led the construction of the Philippine Input-Output Table and production of real-time indicators to monitor the fiscal impact of various legislative proposals.
More InfoNiuatui Niuatui
Economist
Niuatui is our Country Economist for the Republic of the Marshall Islands under our capacity building project for the Northern Pacific, funded by the Asian Development Bank. He is also our Country Team Leader for the project. A Tuvalu national, he brings to our Team 19 years of public service experience. His latest assignment was with the World Bank Group as an Advisor to the Executive Director (2022-2024). In this role, he advised Executive Directors on matters related to the budgets of all World Bank institutions including independent agencies of the World Bank. He also provided technical support to the Pacific Representative to the grant facility of the Bank - the International Development Association (IDA).
More InfoGeorgina Conway
Economist
Georgina is our Country Economist for the Republic of Palau under our capacity building project for the North Pacific, funded by the Asia Development Bank. A British national, Georgina started off her career in HM Treasury (the UK’s Ministry of Finance) in the Fiscal Directorate. She was the founding member of the Balance Sheet Analysis Unit where she built a database for monitoring contingent liabilities and collaborated with functions across government to design and roll out the UK’s PFM reform priority concerning management of fiscal risks and government guarantees.
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