Ms. Renuka Kalra, Research Associate Master of Business Administration,                                                Murray State University, Kentucky Email: rkalra@tnstate.edu Telephone Number: (615) 963 7175

Prior to joining the Office of Business & Economic Research at TSU, Ms. Kalra performed business research and market analyses in corporate settings. As a Market Analyst at Service Merchandise, she conducted and implemented competitive intelligence and market research studies. She also developed and executed media strategies for various new and existing markets using GIS software; Harte Hanks customer database; and an SQL Server database. She also performed cost-benefit analyses as well as geographic & demographic analyses for store closings and new store openings. As a part-time consultant for smaller companies, Renuka implemented and managed marketing databases and guided the marketing of promotional offers based on valued selection criteria. Ms. Kalra also possesses extensive project management experience, reflected in her work experience with software project coordination between developers and end-users at Igenesis Inc. Ms. Kalra has also received her IT certification in Java programming including EJB, JSP, Servlets, Swings and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC). She holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from India and Masters in Business Administration from Murray State University, Kentucky.

Ms. Kalra’s current projects at Tennessee State University are wide-ranging, though her area of expertise and interest is economic impact assessments. She recently completed an Economic Impact Study for the Tennessee Board of Regents to evaluate the impact of the 26 Tennessee technology Centers on the state of Tennessee. She has also conducted the economic impact assessment for Tennessee State University commissioned by the Office of the President. She has also been an effective contributor in the economic impact evaluation of international businesses on the Middle Tennessee area funded by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Some of the other research projects that Ms. Kalra has worked on at OBER in the last three years include an (1) Evaluation of the HOPE VI-Preston Taylor Revitalization project funded by MDHA; (2) an Assessment of Disproportionate Minority Confinement among Juveniles funded by TCCY; (3) a United Way funded Community Needs Assessment Study; and (4) Developing a Client Management Tracking application for Christian Community Services Inc. She is currently the lead researcher for two of OBER’s ongoing projects – the Evaluation of the HOPE VI-Sam Levy Revitalization project funded by MDHA and the Assessment of the Long-Term Impact of the Tennessee Technology Centers & their Programs.

Ms. Kalra has also been an active and integral contributor to OBER’s annual publication – the Nashville Area Business & Economic Review (NABER). Ms. Kalra is also responsible for all financial analysis and budgeting as it relates to OBER’s ongoing projects.  She has also been an effective contributor in OBER’s continuous grant proposal writing and has been instrumental in OBER receiving over half a million dollars in grant funding over the last three years.