Keivan Deravi
Keivan Deravi (born 1956) is an Iranian-born economist at Auburn University at Montgomery. Born in Tehran, Iran, Deravi received his undergraduate degree at the University of Tehran in 1977. He left for the United States and received his MBA from Tarleton State University in 1980. In 1985, he received his PhD in economics from Oklahoma State University, where he worked on programming economic models for the Oklahoma Tax Commission. In 1985, he was hired as professor at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM), and between 1985 and 1993 he worked on AUM's Center for Business and Economic  Development and Center for Government and Public Affairs. From 2009 to 2010, he was interim vice-chancellor for Academic Affairs, and then Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Economic Affairs. Frequently cited by newspapers across the state of Alabama, Deravi is considered "one of Alabama's best when it comes to economic forecasting". His models were used in the recruitment of the Mercedes Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, and he made similar projections for the Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai plants in Alabama.