The U.S. Census Bureau and the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership in collaboration with the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute, welcomes Jamie Vaughn, Jeff DeBellis and Maggie Smith as they present, “Using LED Tools for Special Research Projects to Inform Customers.” This presentation will share how the North Carolina (NC) Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) leverages LED research tools to answer questions about what is going on in their economy. Particularly using tools like OnTheMap, Job-to-Job (J2J) Explorer, Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) Explorer and more to answer questions and inform their customers about economic trends through articles, presentations, and social media posts to help better explain North Carolina’s economy. 

About Our Presenters

Jamie Vaughn is the Senior Analyst for Market Intelligence with the NC Department of Commerce’s LEAD. In his role, he focuses on economic and occupational research as well as the development of the NCcareers.org Career Information System.  Prior to coming to LEAD, he worked in multiple positions with the Department of Commerce’s Business and Industry Division, the Chatham County Economic Development Corporation, and the Durham Workforce Development Board. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and an MBA from the Florida State University. 

Jeff DeBellis is the Director of Economic & Policy Analysis in the NC Department of Commerce’s LEAD. In this position, Jeff leads a team of analysts and economists in developing research, insights, and data delivery tools on North Carolina’s economy and labor market. He regularly advises local and state leaders on conditions and trends impacting workforce and economic development. He also oversees development of the state’s strategic economic development plan; research on jobs, industries, and employers’ changing workforce needs; economic impact analyses; projections of industry and occupational employment; the management and growth of the state’s career information system, NCcareers.org; and various publications, dashboards, and resources to help the people of North Carolina make informed economic decisions. Prior to joining the Department of Commerce in 2012, Jeff spent nearly fifteen years in research positions with NC’s Small Business & Technology Development Center and RTI International. 

Maggie Smith is a Research Analyst in the NC Department of Commerce’s LEAD. She has over 15 years of experience in research and data analysis. Prior to LEAD, she was a Research Analyst for the Economic Development Coalition of Asheville-Buncombe County and a Research Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Kent State University as well as an M.S. in Psychology and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Binghamton University.