Headshot of McNair fellow Alisha Small

Alisha Small

Scholar for Economic Growth

Biography

Alisha Small is the McNair Center scholar for economic growth. She has more than 15 years of experience as an economist with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics measuring labor costs and employment cost trends. Her work has focused on data collection and analysis for the Employment Cost Index, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation report, Employee Benefits Survey, and the Occupational Requirements Survey. Over her career, she has interfaced with hundreds of businesses across the United States.

Small is a graduate of Rice University with a double major in economics and Spanish language/linguistics. She holds a master’s degree in economics from Cleveland State University, and her research interests include urban revitalization and entrepreneurship.

Contact at [email protected] or 713-348-3477.

Explore More

A decorated utility box at Emancipation Park, Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in Third Ward, Houston.
The Economic Interdependence of the Developed and the Developing: Two Decades of Urban Revitalization and Its Economic Impact on Third Ward Small Businesses
Urban revitalization can bring economic growth to historical neighborhoods, but how does it affect existing businesses? Balancing desirable economic improvement in inner-city neighborhoods while avoiding the displacement of established local businesses is a key concern. In a new working paper, scholar Alisha Small explores the economic performance of small businesses in Houston's Third Ward from 1999 to 2021, comparing the neighborhood’s growth to that of the broader city during the same period.
Alisha Small January 13, 2025
 Rustic Open Sign
Impact of Urban Revitalization on Small Businesses: Third Ward Survey
How do urban redevelopment and revitalization projects impact a community’s small businesses? A new report by Alisha Small, scholar for economic growth, and co-author Lebena Varghese details survey results from business owners in Houston’s Third Ward, a historically African American community experiencing economic and demographic change.
Alisha Small, Lebena Varghese May 8, 2024