Dr. Bill LaFayette is the founder and owner of Regionomics®, a consulting firm focused on helping clients understand and thrive in small-area economies. Services include economic development strategy, workforce strategy, economic impact analysis, economic and demographic analysis, and fiscal analysis. LaFayette brings to his work nearly 25 years of experience in economic development and economic analysis in central Ohio.

LaFayette earned a Ph.D. in real estate economics from The Ohio State University in 1994. He also holds an M.B.A. in investment management and a B.S., Summa cum Laude, in finance and accounting, both from Wright State University. He is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Columbus and the 2018 inductee into the Leadership Columbus Hall of Fame. He is a former member of the CMC Board of Trustees and current member of the Program Committee.

In his off hours, LaFayette enjoys 20th Century concert music and collects popular and jazz recordings from the dawn of the talking machine more or less to the present.