Charles L. Ballard, Ph.D.
Dr. Ballard is Director of the State of the State Survey (SOSS) and Professor of Economics at Michigan State University. He has been on the MSU faculty since 1983, when he received his Ph.D. from Stanford University. His research has focused on such topics as tax policy, healthcare financing, and Michigan's financial future.
He co-edited "Michigan at the Millennium," a portrait of the state's fiscal and economic structure, and is winner of the 2007 College of Social Science Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award. His most recent book is "Michigan's Economic Future: A New Look." He is also the author of "Real Economics for Real People" and "A General Equilibrium Model for Tax Policy Evaluation."
He has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Treasury. He can be reached at ballard@msu.edu or 517-353-2961.
Grey L. Pierce
Mx. Pierce serves in three distinct capacities at Michigan State University, dividing the majority of their time between public opinion surveys, technology accessibility, and economic development. First, they are the Assistant Director of Usability/Accessibility Research and Consulting, where they supervise and conduct WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.0 evaluations, advise on accessibility policy, and work on grant-funded research. In their second major role, Grey is the Project Manager of the State of the State Survey, a phone survey of Michigan adults about current public policy issues that is run two to four times each year, at the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. They are responsible for all aspects of SOSS, including question design, programming survey instruments, managing survey samples, data weighting, and working with clients. Finally, Grey is the Outreach Coordinator for the EDA University Center for Regional Economic Innovation at the Center for Community and Economic Development. They are involved in all facets of the project, but are primarily responsible for managing the project's data collection, communications, and website. In addition to these roles, Grey serves as the Acting Chair of the MSU Accommodating Technology Community and is active in many other university and community groups. Grey earned their Master's degree in Cognitive Psychology at Michigan State University. For more information, visit Grey's webpage.