Matthew Fienup is the Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research & Forecasting (CERF) at California Lutheran University. He is also Assistant Professor of Economics and teaches courses in Econometrics, Monetary Economics, and Environmental Economics in the School’s Master of Quantitative Economics Program.
Matthew is a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecasting Survey and was a recipient of the 2019 and 2020 Crystal Ball Awards for the Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey (formerly the Case-Shiller Home Price Expectations Survey). CERF’s U.S. home price forecast received multiple top-3 rankings among more than 100 forecasts included in the survey. Matthew is also the Project Director and Chief Economist for the LDC U.S. Latino GDP Report, which documents the extraordinary economic contribution of Latinos in the United States.
Matthew returned to school to pursue his Ph.D. after running a small business in Ventura County, California for more than a decade. His other specialties include California Natural History, technical rock climbing, and photography. Matthew graduated summa cum laude from the Brooks Institute of Photography and has spent more than 15 years working as a professional climbing guide.
Matthew completed his doctorate in Environmental Economics from the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.