Dr. Edward Timmons
Director
Dr. Edward Timmons is a Service Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He completed his Ph.D. in Economics at Lehigh University. His research has been published in scholarly journals including The Journal of Law and Economics, The Journal of Regulatory Economics, The Journal of Labor Research, The British Journal of Industrial Relations, Health Policy, Monthly Labor Review, and Nicotine and Tobacco Research. His research has been heavily cited by the popular press, by the Federal Trade Commission, the Obama White House, and also in a Senate hearing entitled "License to Compete: Occupational Licensing and the State Action Doctrine."
He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the US on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners.
He has also authored numerous articles in the popular press in publications including Harvard Business Review, the Philadelphia Inquirer, US News & World Report, The Hill, the Washington Examiner, the Tampa Bay Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Louisville Courier-Journal, the Detroit News, the Virginian-Pilot, the Tennessean and the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In May of 2014 he worked as a visiting research fellow at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Moncalieri, Italy. He is a Senior Affiliated Scholar at the Mercatus Center and a Senior Research Fellow with the Archbridge Institute.
Conor Norris
Research Director of Labor
Conor Norris is Director of Labor with the Knee Regulatory Research Center at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He has published research on labor economics and health economics in journals including the Journal of Regulatory Economics, Health Policy, Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, and the Journal of Labor Research. He has shared his research with state legislators and policymakers, authoring white papers and providing expert testimony to state legislatures on occupational licensing reform and the practice of telemedicine. He has also authored numerous articles in media outlets including The Hill, The Washington Examiner, The Chicago Tribune, The Houston Chronicle, The Columbia Dispatch, RealClear Policy, and more.
Mr. Norris teaches courses in Labor Economics to graduate students in the Human Resources Leadership program at West Virginia University. He is a PhD candidate in economics at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín and earned a Masters in economics from George Mason University. He is an alumnus of Saint Francis University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics.
Dr. Alicia Plemmons
Assistant Professor and Research Director of Health
Alicia Plemmons is an Assistant Professor of Business in the Department of General Business at West Virginia University, Director of the Online/Hybrid Master of Business Administration Program, a Research Fellow and Scope of Practice Coordinator with the Knee Regulatory Research Center, Resident Scholar of Data Driven West Virginia, and co-founder and leader of the Scope of Practice and Medical Licensure Research Group. Her research uses applied spatial and econometric methods to determine how policy changes affect labor markets by studying how to create environments that facilitate healthy economic growth and business development through research into the determinants of entry, operation, and exit decisions of firms, laborers, and consumers. Her research has been published in numerous academic journals, such as the British Journal of Industrial Relations, Health Economics, and Annals of Regional Science. Her work on medical licensure and certificate of need laws has been featured in several news outlets.
Dr. Darwyyn Deyo
Research Director of Regulatory Frontiers
Darwyyn Deyo is Director of Regulatory Frontiers with the Knee Regulatory Research Center, in which capacity she works on interdisciplinary research with other scholars and graduate students. She has published research on labor economics, health economics, and criminal justice in such journals as Economics Letters, Southern Economic Journal, the American Journal of Managed Care, and the Journal of Economics and Finance Education. She also speaks to legislators and other policymakers about the effects of regulatory policy. She has presented her work at the American Economic Association Meetings, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and other national meetings. Her work has also been highlighted by such organizations as the Federal Reserve of Cleveland, the Council of State Governments, and the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission.
Dr. Deyo is also an Associate Professor of Economics at San José State University where she teaches law and economics and labor economics to both undergraduate and graduate students. She also founded and serves as president for the Society for Economics and Representation Networking, and serves as president of the Occupational Regulation Group, an affiliate society.
She earned her PhD in Economics and a Masters in Economics from George Mason University. She is an alum of Saint Mary’s College of California, where she earned a dual Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in International Area Studies. Before beginning her doctorate, she also worked as an investigative journalist in Pennsylvania.
Troy Carneal
Legislative Analyst
Troy Carneal joined the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University in May of 2022. As a Legislative Analyst, he works to keep the center's database up-to-date.
A Virginia native, Troy graduated from WVU in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a minor in Political Science. In his free time, Troy enjoys playing golf, watching sports, visiting historical sites, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Kihwan Bae
Research Fellow
Kihwan Bae, PhD a research fellow at the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University.
Dr. Bae’s current research interests lie at the intersection of labor economics and consumer finance. He is particularly interested in empirical analysis on economic incentives and public policies relevant to occupational licensing, migration, higher-education financing, and high-cost consumer loans.
Dr. Bae has taught classes in business analytics: Data Base Management and Introduction to Business Analytics.
Prior to joining the Knee Center at WVU, he was a faculty member at Saint Francis University and an economist at the Bank of Korea (BOK). At the BOK, he conducted economic policy research on the East Asia and Pacific region and contributed to publishing the BOK Annual Report and launching new policy research paper series.
Dr. Bae received a PhD in economics from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree from Yonsei University. During his undergraduate study, he and his colleagues won the National Monetary Policy Competition in South Korea, a student competition similar to the College Fed Challenge.
Ethan Kelley
Legislative Analyst
Ethan Kelley is a Legislative Analyst at the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University. He is tasked with collecting and analyzing regulatory data for different professions, industries, and contributes to editorial writings related to occupational licensing. In addition, he aids in maintaining the occupational database and assists with research at the Knee Center. He graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from West Virginia University in 2021. Before joining the Knee Center, he participated as a research assistant with the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the spring of his senior year, at West Virginia University in drafting an economic forecast and report for the Huntington area. With the final report being published under West Virginia University’s Research Repository and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research’s website.
Joana da Silva-Gonzalez
Legislative Associate
Joana da Silva-Gonzalez is the Legislative Associate for the Knee Regulatory Research Center. Joana leads the Center's team with tracking legislative activity and creating bridges with policymakers to inform state policy through the academic research undertaken at the Center. Before joining the team, she graduated from Muhlenberg College with her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, as well as graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law with her Juris Doctor. Her prior work experience in the Hawaii State Legislature and other various legal settings has created an expertise in advising the legislative outreach and testimonial portion of the Knee Center's work.
Dr. Matthew Mitchell
Senior Research Fellow - Certificate of Need Coordinator
Matthew D. Mitchell is a Senior Research Fellow and Certificate of Need Research Coordinator at the Knee Regulatory Research Center at West Virginia University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Economic Freedom at the Fraser Institute and an Affiliated Senior Scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
In his writing and research, he specializes in economic freedom, public choice economics, and the economics of regulatory barriers to entry.
Mitchell has testified before the US Congress and several state legislatures. He has advised federal, state, and local government policymakers on both fiscal and regulatory policy. His research has been featured in numerous national media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Public Radio, and C-SPAN.
Mitchell received his PhD and MA in economics from George Mason University and his BA in political science and BS in economics from Arizona State University. He is also an affiliated senior scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Dr. Marcus Witcher
Manager of Undergraduate Programs
Marcus M. Witcher is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Economic History at West Virginia University where he also serves as Manager of Undergraduate Programs for the Knee Regulatory Research Center. He completed his Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama in 2017. His first book Getting Right with Reagan: The Struggle for True Conservatism, 1980-2016 was published by the University Press of Kansas in 2019. Witcher is also the co-editor of seven edited collections and has been published in a diverse range of publications including: Reason Magazine, National Review, Modern Age, and the Washington Post. His most recent book, Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America was co-authored with Rachel Ferguson and was published by Emancipation Books in 2022. Witcher is passionate about the history of regulation in the United States. He has published articles on the connection between regulations and racial discrimination. His article "License to Exclude: Black Barbers in Arkansas," co-authored with Tanner Corley and Wendy Lucas, received the James Soltow Award for best paper published in Essays in Economic and Business History in 2023.
Vitor Melo
Senior Research Associate
Vitor Melo is a Senior Research Associate with the Knee Center. His research has been published in academic journals like the Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Policy and Management, Public Choice, and the Southern Economic Journal. He has been featured for his work in various media outlets like Fox News, the Daily Wire, the Philidelphia Inquirer, Marginal Revolution, Reason Magazine, the Hill, and more. His work within health care regulation, in academia and beyond, has many relevant implications for policy. He completed his Master of Science in Economic Analytics from Clemson University. He currently serves as a fellow with the Initiative on Enabling Choice & Competition in Healthcare and is a Ph.D candidate in Economics from Clemson University.
Monica Moses
Outreach Coordinator
Monica Moses joined the Knee Center in April of 2024 with the role of Outreach Coordinator. Prior to joining the Knee Center, Monica received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Statistics from St. John Fisher University. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Economics at West Virginia University with an emphasis in health care, education, and public well-being. Monica's recent work experience has been in academia, state policy, as well as local outreach and organization for various social matters.
Liam Sigaud
Research Analyst
Liam Sigaud is a research analyst for the Knee Regulatory Research Center working within the fields of health and labor economics. He comes to the KRRC from a post-graduate fellowship with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, following the completion of his master's degree in economics from the University of Maine. His peer-reviewed research has been published in the Southern Economic Journal, Social Science & Medicine, and the Maine Policy Review. He also frequently writes opinion pieces, which have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, National Review, Washington Times, and various other outlets.