How are we doing?

It’s a question that most everyone in our region has right now. And it’s an answer that changes day by day.

The DMV Monitor, a partnership between The Brookings Institution and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, is a data interactive and set of analyses that track in real-time the economic and social effects of federal restructuring and other policies on the Greater Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area. It examines the regional economy’s trajectory since January 2025 based on seven different factors: the overall economy; labor market and workforce; innovation; real estate; destination and travel; municipal services and household well-being. 

Amy Liu (’25), Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings, will be joining us for a webinar on October 23 to present findings from the report, take participants on a journey through the interactive web tool, and sit down with Doug Duncan (’15) for an interview about what this means for the region and how our members can affect positive, impactful change on the future.

There’s no crystal ball to tell us where we’re heading, but through this webinar we can equip ourselves best with the shared knowledge necessary to create meaningful change together, today.

Amy Liu ('25) is a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Metro within the Brookings Institution. Liu has nearly three decades of experience as both a scholar and executive, committed to improving governance and public policies at the local, national, and global levels.

Most recently, she served as the interim president of Brookings, guiding the institution for 18 months through a period of strategic assessment and change, leaving it stronger for its next chapter of leadership. She then stayed on as a presidential advisor to help with the transition and oversee critical cross-institution initiatives, such as the harnessing of AI and emerging technologies and tapping international perspectives in the institution’s global mission.

Prior to July 2022, Liu served as vice president and director of Brookings Metro, which she co-founded in 1996. Today, the program is a leading resource for public and private sector leaders interested in promoting prosperous, just, and resilient communities. Liu is an expert on cities and metropolitan areas, as well as the interplay of national, state, and local policies in expanding economic opportunity. She has worked with leaders across the U.S. to translate research insights into action, and has written extensively about the future of post-pandemic cities, inclusive economic growth, state and local cooperation, and the role of federal policies in supporting place-based revitalization across urban and rural areas.