DONALD BYRNE holds a Ph.D. in economics from Notre Dame and currently teaches Finance, Business Valuation and Financial Statement Analysis at University of California, Berkeley, Economics and Finance at Walsh College, and is a retired Professor of Economics from University of Detroit Mercy. Over the years, Professor Byrne has also taught at Notre Dame, Wayne State University, Madonna University, Central Michigan University, Ave Maria College, Davenport University, and Delta College. In August 2003, with a lifetime of teaching under his belt, he embarked on an effort to launch an economics and finance oriented online newsletter: An Economics Newsletter for the New Millennium. 

From 2007 through 2010, Professors Don Byrne and Ed Derbin planned and coordinated the launch of 29 undergraduate and graduate online (distance learning) economics classes, with two undergraduate programs and two graduate programs, entirely online. Going back to 2005, they laid the foundation for the online economics program which grew from an enrollment of around 150 in 2007-2008 (Fall 2007 through the Summer of 2008), to a total of 926 for 2009-2010 academic year, marking the end of their involvement. The online classes they developed, authored and taught were very popular and responsible for re-igniting enormous interest in Economics at UDM from near and far.    

Along with his classroom experience, Dr. Byrne was an Economics Consultant at Credit Union One, Ferndale, Michigan for 25 years; a General Securities Representative (Series Seven) for 13 years (Bentley Lawrence Securities, and Stonebridge Securities); a board member for Centrevest Real Estate Investment Trust for 10 years; a Visiting Scholar at the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank for a few years; and he even taught accounting for a couple of years at Wayne State University.

In addition to Econ Newsletter, Dr. Byrne has several manuscripts that, for many years, have been used in the classroom:

Primer on Public Finance 2005; Primer on International Finance 2006; Primer: Microeconomics –  Laying the Groundwork for Macroeconomics (2004; currently in use at University of California – Berkeley); THE NEW PARADIGM IN ECONOMICS –  1995 Manuscript (Last revised 2008); FINANCIAL ECONOMICS – 1990 Manuscript (Last revised 2008); and FINANCIAL MARKETS IN TRANSITION – 1995 Published by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (with Paul Ballew, Senior Research Economist, currently Vice President Nationwide Insurance).

Professor Byrne and his wife live in Livonia, Michigan and are parishioners at Saint Genevieve Catholic Church.