Orrin Banta

Orrin Banta, who graduated with a BA in Economics in 1994, is event and data coordinator for the Strategies Center(opens in new window), a nonprofit training and technical assistance program that provides guidance to social service organizations in an effort to reduce child abuse.  After graduating, Orrin conducted economic, demographic, and public opinion research and analysis independently and as an employee of a local research and consulting firm, spent several years with the Superior Court of California, County of Butte in various administrative capacities, including coordinating Butte County’s drug court programs.

Orrin’s primary role at the Strategies Center is to coordinate the logistical aspects of training events and other projects, and to provide administrative support to Strategies teammates. He has been instrumental in the development of numerous training programs including Family Economic Success and the Sustainability Project.

“A degree in economics will benefit you regardless of the path you choose to take through life,” Orrin stated in an email.  “Perhaps the greatest benefit is the way a study of economics expands and develops thinking processes. The ideas, methods, and tools about which you’ll learn will become invaluable to you whether you’re managing a household or a multi-national corporation. From an understanding of the elements affecting supply and demand and marginal rates of return, to monetary policy, and more complex statistical analysis, an education in economics will serve you well. Economics allows us to evaluate in a fuller light the claims made by advertisers, government officials, and political candidates, as well as our own behavior and the behavior of family members, coworkers, customers, and others. Either at work or in my personal life, I use the education I received through Chico State’s Department of Economics on a daily basis.”  (Last Updated 4/18/19)