The California Lutheran University Center for Economic Research and Forecasting will present its first public state and national outlook from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wed., Dec. 16 in the campus Lundring Events Center in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on the Thousand Oaks campus.

The center’s executive director, Bill Watkins, will present the “United States and California Forecast.” He will also share his policy recommendations for how California and the U.S. can speed economic recovery.

Watkins and his team of economists launched the center in June. The center provides local, state and national forecasts for government, business and nonprofit leaders throughout the country.

Watkins, who has a doctorate in economics, had been the executive director of the UC Santa Barbara Economic Forecast Project since 2000 and previously served as an economist with the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C.

The other members of the team also came from the UC Santa Barbara Project. They are Dan Hamilton, who created a new economic forecast model for the center, and Kirk Lesh, who specializes in the real estate sector.

The economists are faculty members in CLU’s School of Business. Working with Dean Charles Maxey, this semester they launched a new Master of Science in Economics program focusing on forecasting and applied research.

Registration for the event is $95, which includes breakfast, presentation and a copy of the full forecast on CD. Reservations are requested by Dec. 14.

To register, go online to www.clucerf.edu. For more information, visit the website or call (805) 493-3358.