Carl Whitaker Email & Phone Number

Data and numbers have always fascinated me. I can't tell you how many pointless baseball card stats I would rattle off to my (thankfully very patient) parents when I was younger. Geography - or if we get a level deeper, the idea of "place & space" - has also been something I've always found interesting. It's no coincidence I went a degree in Economic Geography, researching then eventually writing a graduate thesis* on small town economic development. And therein the "research" comment comes to light. I feel like I'm part of a very fortunate group of people who can say they really enjoy their day-to-day work. Researching market trends, i.e. data and places. Writing blogs & whitepapers, i.e. research and lifelong learning. And last but not least, presenting those findings much like I would to my parents when I was younger (though the topic has changed from baseball stats to multifamily market and economic trends) in both spoken and written format. Nevertheless, I've been fortunate enough to spend the better part of my adult life blending those things I'm passionate about - research, data, learning, space & place, and the confluence of geography/economics - in a professional setting. The cherry on top just happens to be that my day-to-day also includes presenting these research findings to clients in an effort to help others understand the world around them. When asked "what would you be doing if not in your current role?" I usually reply "probably be a professor". That may be on the table in the future as it's another avenue that blends research, presenting, and teaching. But thankfully, that's an itch I can still scratch in some ways through my current role at RealPage as part of our economics team. *By the way I'd be happy to send a hard copy of the thesis (no, seriously!) to anyone interested in browsing through the final copy... Though I'll tell you up front to temper your expectations in terms of excitement... it's pretty boring academic research!

Listed skills include Higher Education, Geography, Research, Freelance Writing, and 4 others.