Date: October 17, 2025
Location: Omaha Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
This year’s Great Plains Economics and Business Conference, sponsored by NEBA will be held in downtown Omaha at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City – Omaha Branch. Academic and business professional presenters are welcome to this conference. Graduate and undergraduate students are also encouraged to submit proposal.
Guests must present government-issued photo identification.
Onsite visitor parking for around 35 cars. Metered parking adjacent to the building on Farnam or Harney Street. Visitor screening with X-ray and metal detection equipment. Weapons, including pocketknives and pepper spray, are prohibited.
Agenda
Atrium
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Check-in and breakfast
Cottonwood/Goldenrod Room
8:30 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Conference Begins; Welcome Message; NEBA History; Awards
8:50 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Break (Atrium)
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Presentation: Nate Kauffman, Senior Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City – General Economic Outlook (Cottonwood/Goldenrod)
9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Break (Atrium)
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Student/Faculty Papers – Concurrent Breakout Rooms
Presentations in Cottonwood/Goldenrod Room | Little Blue Stem Room | Platte River Room
- Cottonwood/Goldenrod and Little Blue Stem are on the Main Floor
- Platte River Room is on the Second Floor
| Morning Session | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Cottonwood/Goldenrod | Little Blue Stem | Platte River |
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. | Michael J. O’Hara, J.D., Ph.D. – Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska at Omaha | David M. Ambrose, PhD – Retired, University of Nebraska at Omaha | Kinza Emad Khan, PhD Candidate – Kansas State University; Lance Bachmeier |
| Paper Title: | FRE 702 & FRE 703: Foundation of an Expert’s Opinion | Factors Affection Population Retention in Nebraska | When Credit Tightens, Prices Take Off: Evidence from Jet Fuel Price Shocks in U.S. Airfares |
| 10:20 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. | Phillip Frank, PhD – Pittsburg State University | Kristen E. Moore, PhD – Ottawa University, Kansas City; Ruth L. M. Burkhart, DNP – Ottawa University, Kansas City; Stephen M. Weiss, PhD – Ottawa University, Kansas City | Arsalan Hussain, PhD Candidate – Kansas State University |
| Paper Title: | Exploring a New Dimension of Service Failure/Service Recovery | Why Mattering at Work, Matters | Immigrant Assimilation in Homeownership in early 20th Century |
| 10:40 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Bun Song Lee, PhD – University of Arkansas Fort Smith Moon Jung Kim, PhD – Korea Institute of Public Finance Ben O. Smith, PhD – University of Nebraska at Omaha Omer Kutlubay, PhD – University of Arkansas Fort Smith Jacob Burton, Student – University of Arkansas Fort Smith | Trish Petak, DBA – Kansas Wesleyan University | Preety Bhogal, PhD Candidate – Kansas State University; Peri da Silva, Giovanni Facchini |
| Paper Title: | Who Commutes using Bus, Subway, Railroad, Cycling, and Walking in the U.S.? | Making Economics Meaningful: A New Pedagogical Approach in Driving Student Success in Undergraduate Macroeconomics and Microeconomics Courses | Lobbying and U.S.-China Trade War |
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Lunch – Buffet located in the Atrium/Dining in Cottonwood/Goldenrod Room.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. – Presentation: Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh and Council Bluffs Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff Brandon Garrett (Cottonwood/Goldenrod)
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Student/Faculty Papers – Concurrent Breakout Rooms
Presentations in Cottonwood/Goldenrod Room | Little Blue Stem Room | Platte River Room
| Afternoon Session #1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Cottonwood/Goldenrod | Little Blue Stem | Platte River |
| 1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. | John W. Tiner, PhD, RN – University of Nebraska at Omaha | Dishant Pandya, DBA, AFC – Bellevue University | Joseph Faello, PhD – Wayne State College Yingge Qu, PhD – University of North Alabama |
| Paper Title: | A look at Transshipping: A case study of an economic Nexus | Excess CEO Compensation and Board Structure: The Long-run Effect of Regulatory Changes of 2002 on Excess CEO Compensation | The Zombie Firm Effect and the Inefficient Allocation of Capital |
| 1:20 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. | Raymond Leach, PhD – Augustana University Reynold F. Nesiba, PhD – Augustana University Meriem Abdulhafiz, Student – Augustana University | David K. Palmer, Ph.D. – South Dakota State University | Nicholas D. Fisher, JD, MBA, LL.M. – Chadron State College |
| Paper Title: | Earned Wage Access: Easy Money or Fintech Payday Lending? | Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk: Tuckman’s Model of Group Development and the Ship of Theseus | Unintended Side Effects: Regulatory Prescriptions and the Rural Housing Shortage |
| 1:40 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Bruce Johnson, MBA – South Dakota State University | Ruth L. M. Burkhart, DNP – Ottawa University, Kansas City; Kristen E. Moore, PhD – Ottawa University, Kansas City; Stephen M. Weiss, PhD – Ottawa University, Kansas City | Adam Nutt, MSBA – University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| Paper Title: | Is communication really the problem? | Effective strategies in retaining healthcare professionals in the Midwest. | Powering the Future: Considerations of Grid Expansion and Decentralized Solutions |
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Break (Atrium)
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Student/Faculty Papers – Concurrent Breakout Rooms
Presentations in Cottonwood/Goldenrod Room | Little Blue Stem Room | Platte River Room
| Afternoon Session #2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Cottonwood/Goldenrod | Little Blue Stem | Platte River |
| 2:15 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. | Randa Zalman, DBA – Bellevue University | Larry W. Hughes, PhD – University of Nebraska at Omaha | Jared Dingman, BA – University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| Paper Title: | Work Ethic and the Future of Workforce | Contrasting the CAPM, Fama-French Three-Factor, and Five-Factor Models | Sincerely, Respectfully, and Kind Regards: Email Sign-offs and Gender Biases |
| 2:35 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. | Melissa Trueblood, PhD – Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) | Jane (Jinan) Liu, PhD – University of Nebraska at Omaha Kenwin Maung, PhD – Rutgers University | Arnav Gupta, High School Student; Research with Zhigang Feng, PhD – University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| Paper Title: | Studying the Economic Impact of Inadequate Childcare in the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Service Territory | The Time-Varying Risk-Return Relationship Between Cryptocurrency and Financial Markets | Parameter Optimization in a Deep-Learning Fiscal Policy Model |
| 2:55 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. | Peng Zhao, PhD – Doane University | ||
| Paper Title: | Housing Natural Depreciation and Maintenance Effect |
Cottonwood/Goldenrod Room
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Commerce Business Meeting After Presentations
4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Conference Adjourns
Nebraska Economics and Business Association 