The Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) announced today that Thomas J. Cunningham, Ph.D., has joined the organization’s leadership team as chief economist. Cunningham comes to MAC following a 30-year career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Cunningham’s deep experience covers all aspects of applied economics and real estate trends, and he is a specialist in macroeconomic policy and regional analysis. He most recently served as vice president, senior economist and regional executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

“Tom’s leadership and accomplishments at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta demonstrate the kind of forward thinking and analytical insight that MAC needs as we deliver on our five-year strategic plan,” said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Tom joins MAC in a newly created role that will bring together his expertise in applied economics and knowledge of essential economic indicators, and will help better serve our investors and partners as we work to tackle key issues and advance economic growth in the region.”

Throughout his career, he has interacted with multiple business leaders and companies in the Southeast, and has deep knowledge and expertise in areas such as real estate mortgage, mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, transportation and government.  

During his tenure at the Atlanta Fed, Cunningham was instrumental in launching the Center for Real Estate Analytics, which studies macroeconomic policy related to real estate trends. The center brings together numerous experts and data sources to provide useful information to various organizations, government entities, banks and academia. Among other roles, he served as the point person for the Fed in the mid-1990s when the regional impact of hosting the 1996 Olympic Games was studied.

“This is a pivotal time in the metro Atlanta region as we are seeing a rebound from the economic recession and an uptick in corporate relocations and expansions,” said Larry Gellerstedt, president and CEO of Cousins Properties Incorporated and 2015 Chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Throughout its history, MAC has embraced a strategy of investing in our region’s future and being a forward-thinking organization. The addition of Tom Cunningham demonstrates the Chamber’s leadership in advancing the region’s economic growth.” 

Cunningham’s role at MAC will focus on designing policies and making recommendations for solving economic problems that MAC and other regional entities can address together. He will serve as a regional authority for economic trends and analysis on behalf of the organization. He will advise MAC senior staff and the board on economic topics and will produce reports with regional economic data and in-depth analysis for key stakeholders. He will also manage an internal team that will support the research and advocacy roles of the economic development and public policy departments, respectively.

Cunningham joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as an economist with the macropolicy group in 1985. He was promoted to senior economist in 1989 and to research officer and senior economist with responsibility for the regional group in 1992. Cunningham previously worked as an instructor at Barnard College at Columbia University. He received a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in economics from California State University, Fresno. He earned a master's degree, a master of philosophy and a doctorate in economics from Columbia University. He also attended the executive development program at Wharton. His work has been published in multiple journals including Journal of Economics and Business, Journal of Economic Development and Journal of Macroeconomics.