Headed to Washington

5/5/2011 - President Barack Obama has nominated Kellogg Professor Janice C. Eberly to serve as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, Department of the Treasury. Eberly will be stepping into her new role pending Senate confirmation.

Eberly’s appointment was announced in tandem with another key administrative post. In a press release, Obama said, “I am confident that these outstanding individuals will greatly serve the American people in their new roles and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.”

Eberly will report directly to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and will advise him on a wide variety of macro and microeconomic issues. The office she will oversee is responsible for analyzing data and developments in the U.S. and global economies and financial markets — critical for shaping economic policy.

“This experience has brought together many of the issues I’ve studied throughout my career at Kellogg, including household spending and corporate investment under the lens of the government budget,” said Eberly, the John L. and Helen Kellogg Professor of Finance. “Approaching these specific issues with rigor and data-driven analysis is a feature of good research, and also of good policy-making.”

Throughout her career, Eberly has worked at the intersection of the private and public sectors. She has served on the staff of the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and on the advisory panel to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. Since April 2010, she has served on the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Economic Advisers, a non-partisan group that studies economic forecasts for the macroeconomy and implications for the government budget.

Eberly, who joined the Kellogg faculty in 1998, says the school has been an excellent training ground for a leadership position in government.

“Kellogg emphasizes thinking beyond self, placing a high value on service and demanding it of ourselves and of our community,” she said. “Public service is just that: serving the public and trying to find solutions that serve the good of the country.”

Kellogg Dean Sally Blount wished Eberly congratulations, saying, “At Kellogg, we value a balance of scholarship, leadership and dedication to making a positive impact across all sectors. This recognition is very well deserved, and signals Jan’s incredible talent and commitment to developing policies that enhance organizations, markets and communities.”

“We are extremely proud of the selection of one of our outstanding Northwestern faculty to play a key role in guiding national economic policy at this crucial time for our country,” added Morton Schapiro, president of Northwestern University. “Jan brings tremendous skills to this position as an expert in economics and finance and as a clear and effective communicator on complex issues.”

The White House has sent the nomination to the U.S. Senate for consideration. A Senate confirmation hearing will follow.