Charles M. (Mel) Gray is Professor of Economics at the University of St. Thomas, where he also holds an appointment as University Scholar.  He received his BA in social science from Hendrix College in Arkansas, and his AM and PhD in economics from Washington University in St. Louis.  He previously served as research economist for the Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Minneapolis as well as for a Minnesota state agency.  He has held adjunct or visiting appointments at Macalester College and the Universities of Minnesota, North Carolina, Oslo, British Columbia, and Rochester.  His primary research interest is the "creative sector," he is coauthor of The Economics of Art and Culture, and he is a frequent consultant to the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kathryn L. Combs is a Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of St. Thomas. She earned her B.A. in economics at Washington State University, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in economics at the University of Minnesota. She was also on the faculty of California State University - Los Angeles, and was a visiting faculty member at the University of Minnesota and the School of Business at the University of Southern California.  Her managerial experience was in the area of demand forecasting in the telecommunications industry. She has published several journal articles, and has served as a reviewer for the National Academy of Sciences. Her current areas of research are the economics of R&D, strategic alliances, and technology transfer.  She serves on the board of directors of the Minnesota Economic Association and the Institute for Financial Economics - a local chapter of the National Association of Business Economists.