Seth Colby, Ph.D., has been appointed as Hawaii's Chief State Economist by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). He will oversee data analysis on essential aspects of Hawaii's economy.

HONOLULU - The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) of Hawaii announced the appointment of political economist Seth Colby as the new Chief State Economist. Colby will head the Research and Economic Analysis Division (READ), which is responsible for collecting and analyzing data related to Hawaii’s economy, covering crucial areas like tourism, labor, energy, and demographics. 

Colby joins DBEDT after serving as the tax research and planning officer for the Hawaii Department of Taxation, where he managed research on the state’s revenue system and macroeconomic forecasting. 

DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka expressed excitement over Colby's appointment, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive economic analyses in promoting a competitive and productive Hawaii economy. 

In his new role, Colby aims to lead the READ team to produce critical analytical products that will empower both public and private decision-making processes.

Originally from California, Colby moved to Hawaii in 2016. He is fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish.

In a recent interview with the Aloha Daily Newspaper, he revealed that it was as a result of his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and subsequent time in Africa in the US Peace Corps that he realised that "good intentions are not enough to bring billions of people out of poverty", and set him on his path towards development economics and political economy. While in Africa, he was confronted with the question of how it could be that people in developing countries could be working "just as hard, if not harder" than people he knew from the US, but were "five to eight times poorer". He was inspired to gain a Masters and later a PhD in Political Economy from John Hopkins University, and gained experience in economic and social development across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.

Colby is the fourth person to hold the title of Chief State Economist, succeeding Dr. Eugene Tian, who retired after serving 15 years in the position. 

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_{^{Image Credits: dbedt.hawaii.gov}}