Indiana University of Pennsylvania professors of economics Jim Jozefowicz and Stephanie Jozefowicz, members of the IUP Department of Finance and Economics, hosted the fortieth annual Pennsylvania Economic Association Conference at IUP on May 28–30.
PEA Keystone Fellow Award corecipients, Stephanie Jozefowicz and Jim Jozefowicz
The event featured First Commonwealth executive and former state representative David Reed, a 2000 IUP economics and mathematics graduate, as a keynote speaker; recognition of student research awards won by two IUP students and a recent IUP graduate; and a state-wide recognition for Stephanie and Jim Jozefowicz for their service to the Pennsylvania Economic Association.
The event drew the largest number of participants in its 40-year history. Its 127 registrants included nine IUP undergraduates and May 2026 graduates, six IUP graduate students, four IUP alumni, and an IUP emeritus faculty member, Will Radell.
Altogether, almost 100 academic papers were presented during the sessions from both academic and non-academic economists as well as undergraduate and graduate students from 18 states and four countries outside the United States.
Reed, of Indiana, delivered the luncheon keynote address, “Business and Politics: It’s All Just Economics,” based on his years serving in the Pennsylvania state legislature and his years working in the banking industry.
“The Economics Department at IUP provided me with the foundation for my career in public service and the private sector,” Reed said. “It was an honor to be able to come back to campus and talk about my experiences with some of the finest economists in Pennsylvania, as well as some emerging leaders within IUP’s undergraduate and graduate programs. The group really has an opportunity to use their talents and knowledge to positively impact our economy and our nation in the years ahead.”
PEA Keynote Speaker, State Rep. Dave Reed ’00
When he first ran for elected office, Reed was the youngest member of the State House of Representatives. He served eight terms, and during his tenure in Harrisburg, he was elected twice by his peers to be the chairman of the House Majority Policy Committee and twice to be the House majority leader.
He joined First Commonwealth Bank in December 2018, advancing from serving as regional president for the Pennsylvania Community Markets to serving as Pennsylvania state president, effective January 2022.
With feet having been firmly planted in both the political and public policy sphere and in the banking industry across his career, Reed shared first-hand experiences related to similarities and critical differences in perspective across these sectors for the determination of key performance indicators and goal setting, along with the stated and underlying motivations of decision makers across the two realms.
Reed, a member of the first graduating class of the IUP Cook Honors College, is a 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and was named to the IUP Eberly College of Business Hall of Distinction in 2022.
IUP President Michael Driscoll and Eberly College of Business Dean Prashanth Bharadwaj also spoke during the event.
PEA President Zachary Klingensmith, IUP alumna Allison Johnson ’26, and IUP student Paige Clawson, recognized during the PEA Best Undergraduate Paper Contest with the third-place award for the econometric research paper, “Does the Presence of Universities Increase Retail Theft Rates in Pennsylvania Counties?”
In the Conference Best Undergraduate Paper Competition, Jordyn Trusnovic, a criminology and economics honors double major from Bethel Park, won second place for her econometric research paper, “Investigating the Drivers of Profit in Nonprofit Hospitals Over Time,” and coauthors Paige Clawson, an economics honors and accounting double major from Blairsville, and May 2026 IUP economics honors and finance graduate Allison Johnson, from Penn Run, won third place for their coauthored research paper, “Does the Presence of Universities Increase Retail Theft Rates in Pennsylvania Counties?”
The faculty mentor for both research papers is Jim Jozefowicz.
In addition to the student honors, Stephanie Jozefowicz and Jim Jozefowicz were honored with the newly created PEA Keystone Fellow Award.
The PEA Fellow Award is intended to honor individuals whose service to the association reflects both significant impact and meaningful duration of involvement. This distinction recognizes those who have played a central role in advancing the mission, operations, and community of the PEA, and is reserved for individuals whose contributions are both enduring and influential, representing the highest level of service to the association.
“PEA has a strong, high-impact legacy offering faculty, students, and government economists an outlet for constructively disseminating research analysis through conference presentations and publications in the PEA-sponsored journal, the Pennsylvania Economic Review,” Stephanie Jozefowicz said. “Our dedication to PEA grew from attending our first conference in 2000 to present our own research to serving in various leadership capacities, and we are very humbled to receive the inaugural PEA Keystone Fellow awards,” she said.
IUP student Jordyn Trusnovic, with her IUP faculty mentor, Jim Jozefowicz. Jordyn was recognized in the PEA Best Undergraduate Paper Contest with the second-place award for the econometric research paper, “Investigating the Drivers of Profit in Nonprofit Hospitals Over Time”
“One of the defining characteristics of the PEA is its collegial and supportive atmosphere,” Jim Jozefowicz said. “Not only have we been the direct recipients of that support, but dozens of our IUP students also have been encouraged in their professional development endeavors by its members. To serve a professional association that has invested in our students and in us throughout the entirety of our IUP careers has been a privilege, and we are deeply grateful to have been selected as Keystone Fellows by a group of economists whom we admire as professionals and cherish as friends,” he said.
Jim Jozefowicz joined the PEA Board of Directors in 2002 and has served as vice president in charge of local arrangements and vice president in charge of program and proceedings, as president designate, president, and immediate past president. In years when he has not served as an officer, he has remained an active ex officio board of directors member, was instrumental in creating the PEA Archives as part of the IUP Special Collections and University Archives through the IUP Libraries, and has led various initiatives, including updating bylaws and assisting with website content development, recruitment of board members, and recording PEA history.
Stephanie Jozefowicz joined the PEA Board of Directors in 2005 when she was elected secretary, a role she continues to hold. In presenting the award, PEA leadership recognized that with many officer positions rotating from year-to-year by design, her continuity as secretary has provided stability, institutional history, and overall organization for the association. Prior to hosting this year’s conference, the Jozefowiczes hosted the 2006 annual PEA conference at IUP.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the Commonwealth.