Webb replaces Pepper at IHL

Dr. Darrin Webb, a senior economist at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) for nearly 15 years, has been selected as the new State Economist. He assumes the position immediately from Dr. Phil Pepper, who retired at the end of June.

In his years at IHL, Webb has worked closely with the Revenue Estimating Group, formulating and presenting the University Research Center’s estimate. He also constructed and maintained the state’s Leading and Coincident Indicator series, tools that are used to forecast economic trends and assess the Mississippi economy.

Webb, a native Mississippian, is the editor of Mississippi’s Business, a monthly publication that monitors the state’s economy.

The State Economist serves as the chief economist for the State of Mississippi. Responsibilities include economic forecasting, socio-economic policy analysis and monitoring collections of state general fund revenue. The State Economist traditionally serves as chair of the Revenue Estimating Group, working closely with the Governor’s Office, Legislative Budget Office, legislators and other state agencies.

Webb earned an associate’s degree in applied science from Hinds Community College and a bachelor’s in agribusiness and a master’s in agricultural economics, both from Mississippi State University. His doctorate of philosophy in applied economics is from Clemson University.

Prior to his work as a senior economist at IHL, Webb served as an assistant professor of agricultural economics at Northeast Louisiana University.