Map Maker for Future Development
Making sure that Arkansas’ children have a reason to stay in the state occupies much of Professor Ashvin Vibhakar’s time these days. The director of the Institute of Economic Advancement at UALR works tirelessly to promote a vibrant economy in one of the “nicest cities in terms of quality of life for its size.”
“I work so that people who grow up here can live here and find opportunities,” Dr. Vibhakar said. “The only way for our state to compete on a global level is for the people to come together and work to promote our area.”
To ensure a high quality of life in Arkansas’ capital city, Dr. Vibhakar served on the team that studied the Little Rock-North Little Rock water issue for two years and resulted in the consolidation of the cities’ utilities. Appointed by the Little Rock mayor to head the economic development team in the planning effort of “Vision Little Rock,” he worked to produce a road map for the city’s future economic direction and was instrumental in forming the Metro Little Rock Alliance with 11 counties to promote economic growth of the area.
Dr. Vibhakar also served on the Governor’s Economic Advisory Council and the Arkansas Promise steering committee to provide access of resources to young people to succeed. He serves on the National CFA Institute Board of Governors, is a member of the board of directors of Arvest Bank, and is past president of the Association of University Bureaus of Economic Research.
After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Barondo in India, Dr. Vibhakar then pursued his master of business administration degree at Central Missouri State University and earned his doctoral degree in finance from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He is a certified financial planner (CFP), a chartered financial analyst (CFA) and a graduate of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Class of 1993.