Associate Director for International Economics

Obie Whichard

Obie Whichard is the Associate Director for International Economics at the Bureau of Economic Analysis. He is responsible for the production and analysis of statistics on international transactions, the international investment position, and the operations of multinational companies (MNCs), as well as for data collection programs in the areas of direct investment, MNC operations, and international trade in services. He has participated actively in the work of international organizations to develop and update international statistical standards in these areas and has written several articles and papers on these subjects.

He has received the Commerce Department’s Gold Medal Award for his contributions to international statistical standards and its Silver Medal Award for his work on trade-in-services statistics. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina, and before coming to BEA in 1975, he served on the economics faculty of the University of Georgia.