CHARLOTTE — John Connaughton, the UNC Charlotte economist whose forecasts guided business decisions across the Carolinas for 45 years, has died at 78.
Connaughton died June 24 in Charlotte. He was a professor of economics at UNC Charlotte and the university’s longest-serving faculty member this spring.
His quarterly North Carolina Economic Forecast became a trusted guide for business leaders and policymakers. The university will carry the work forward without him.
Richard Buttimer, dean of the Belk College of Business, worked with Connaughton for years.
“He had been a fixture here for a very, very long time, and probably had one of the highest profiles in the university in terms of connections to the city,” Buttimer said.
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