Chief Economist

Breyon Williams, Ph.D.

I'm a PhD economist with over a decade of experience working on market power, education, and labor policy across think tanks, policy research, and state government. I use rigorous causal methods, including randomized trials and quasi-experimental designs, to study how policy and market forces shape outcomes for workers and families. As Chief Economist at Groundwork Collaborative, I make the economic case for tackling affordability and wealth inequality through fair prices, better worker outcomes, and reining in corporate power. I provide commentary on the U.S. economy, from the labor market and inflation to monetary policy.

Breyon Williams

About

Data to insight. Insight to impact.

My career has been built on one idea: workers and their families deserve evidence-based policy. Over the past decade, I've modeled tax policy for state lawmakers, conducted quantitative analysis for antitrust litigation, and led complex evaluations for the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor. Now, as Chief Economist at Groundwork Collaborative, I'm building a research portfolio aimed at the national economic policy debate.

What ties this work together is a commitment to mixed methods and causal inference, designed to answer concrete questions like:

  • Whether universal free lunch improves academic outcomes for low-income students
  • Whether rising prices reflect higher costs or higher corporate margins
  • Whether a federal workforce training program produces lasting wage gains for workers

Groundwork Collaborative

Turning economic research into public narrative and policy that delivers for working families

Mathematica

Measuring the real-world impact of federal and philanthropic programs across education, workforce, and social policy

Analysis Group

Conducting empirical analysis for antitrust and consumer protection cases, including matters before the FTC and DOJ

SC Revenue & Fiscal Affairs

Advising South Carolina lawmakers on tax policy, revenue forecasts, and fiscal impact

Beyond the Data

Not just an economist.

A few things really interest me beyond policy and economics. I love a good game of chess. I only started playing a couple of years ago, but I became obsessed with the strategy and now consider myself a pretty strong player. I also love TV and film, especially the chance to take a break from reality and get pulled into a plot. I may be in the minority, but horror is my absolute favorite genre: Scream is nostalgic, Halloween is a bona fide classic, Hellraiser is underappreciated, and the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later is unbeatable. I've also been fascinated by what lies beyond Earth. I love listening to Neil deGrasse Tyson break down astrophysics, and I'm especially keen on multiverse theory, what lies beyond the observable universe, earth-like exoplanets, and black holes. A few other tidbits: my favorite artists include Aaliyah, Cleo Sol, Florence + the Machine, and Otis Redding; I'm at the gym often; and Coca-Cola is my guilty pleasure.

♞ Chess
🎥 Horror Films
🔭 Astrophysics
🎵 Music
🏋 Gym
🥛 Coca-Cola

Let's connect.

Whether it's research collaboration, policy consulting, speaking, or just a good conversation about economics — I'd love to hear from you.

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