Common Ground: Addressing Affordability
Thursday, February 26, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Alumni, Community, Faculty, Staff, Students
The 2026 midterm elections will likely be decided on one topic alone: affordability. Join us as we host a panel of experts from across the political spectrum who will discuss affordability in America. Together, they will define the concept, diagnose its causes, and debate the policies that will lead to stability and prosperity for all Americans.
Our esteemed panel includes:
Kristin Dziczek, Detroit Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Kristin Dziczek is a policy advisor in the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s research, policy, and public engagement division. Her research focuses on the economic impacts of the transition to low-carbon and automated transportation. Dziczek served as the senior vice president of research at the non-profit Center for Automotive Research (CAR) from 2005-2022. Before that, she was the associate director of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center and worked for the U.S. Congress, International Union UAW, and General Motors Corporation. Dziczek received her B.A., M.P.P., and M.S. all from the University of Michigan.
Emily Gee, Center for American Progress. Emily Gee is the senior vice president for Economic Policy and a senior fellow for Health Policy at the Center for American Progress. She oversees research, policy development, and advocacy to improve economic mobility and drive economic growth. Prior to joining American Progress, Gee was an economist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and on the staff of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama White House. She is a frequent commentator on economic policy and the economics of health care. She has been quoted and her work has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Marketplace, and other outlets. Gee holds a Ph.D. in economics from Boston University and an A.B. in government from Harvard College.
David Hebert, American Institute for Economic Research. Dave Hebert, Ph.D, is a senior research fellow at AIER. He was formerly a professor at Aquinas College, Troy University, and Ferris State University. He has also been a fellow with the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget and has worked for the U.S. Joint Economic Committee. Dr. Hebert’s research has been published in academic journals such as Public Choice, Constitutional Political Economy, and The Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice and popular outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, RealClearPolicy, RealClearMarkets, The Hill, and The Daily Caller. He also serves as an Associate Director of The Entangled Political Economy Research Network.
Location Information
DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium
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This event was added to the calendar by Kahler Sweeney (sweenkah@gvsu.edu) on Monday, December 15, 2025 and was last updated on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 4:40 p.m.
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