ABC Feb. 6 announced that Anirban Basu has joined the association as its chief economist. Basu, who is chairman and CEO of the Baltimore-based economic and policy consulting firm Sage Policy Group, Inc. (SPG), is one of the most recognized and respected economists in the mid-Atlantic region, with a wide range of prominent clients.   

“Anirban’s impressive expertise and knowledge will greatly enhance our efforts to provide ABC members with up-to-the-minute, comprehensive analyses on important trends in the U.S. construction industry,” said Kirk Pickerel, ABC president and CEO. “We are very excited to have Anirban on board.”  

Before founding SPG in 2004, Basu co-founded the economic and policy analysis research and consulting firm Optimal Solutions Group, LLC, in 2002, serving as the company’s chairman and CEO. From 1992 to 2002, Basu served as director of applied economics and senior economist at the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University.  

Basu has bachelor of science degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He received a master of public policy degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1992, and a master of arts degree in mathematical economics from the University of Maryland in 1998. Additionally, Basu received a juris doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2003, and is a member of the Maryland bar.    

Basu is an active member of his community, serving as a member of the Baltimore City Public School System board, as well as on the boards of Union Memorial Hospital, Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity and the Maryland Business Council.