Christopher Thornberg

Christopher Thornberg, Ph.D., is an economist and the founding partner of Beacon Economics, LLC, an independent research and consulting firm. Beacon Economics provides economic and revenue forecasting, regional economics analysis, economic policy consulting, and expertise in labor and real estate markets to public and private sector clients across the United States. Thornberg has consulted globally for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies.

Before establishing Beacon Economics, Thornberg served as a senior economist with UCLA Anderson Forecast, where he authored economic outlooks for California, Los Angeles, and the East Bay, and developed specialized forecasts for a range of public and private entities. He has taught in the MBA program at UCLA Anderson School, the Rady School of Business at UC San Diego, and at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thornberg is recognized for data-driven economic forecasting and for identifying the subprime mortgage market crash and the subsequent global economic recession. He has also analyzed the economic impacts of government stimulus, inflation, and interest rate changes in the United States. Thornberg has advised business leaders, government officials, and media outlets on economic trends and policy issues.

He served as director of the UC Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development and as an adjunct professor at the school. Thornberg has acted as chief economic advisor to the California State Controller's Office and as chair of the State Controller's Council of Economic Advisors. He has testified before the U.S. Congress House Committee on Financial Services on municipal debt and before the California State Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation regarding Proposition 13. Thornberg contributes to consensus economic forecasts published by the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, the National Association of Business Economists, and the Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University.

Thornberg has appeared on NBC's "The Today Show," ABC's "Nightline," CNN, FOX News Channel, and NPR, and is quoted in national and California newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune. He presents to business, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide, including NAIOP, CoreNet Global, Western Bankers Association, The Boeing Company, Kaiser Permanente, Zillow, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Thornberg is sought after by Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and nonprofits for his ability to distill economic information relevant to business and policy decisions.

Thornberg serves as a board member of the BizFed Institute, a Southern California think tank focused on business and industry issues, and is on the board of directors of the Statewide California Coalition and the advisory board of the California Chamber of Commerce. His economic outlooks highlight national and local economic trends and emphasize the importance of evidence-based analysis when political narratives diverge from economic realities.