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Lael Brainard

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Lael Brainard is an internationally recognized policymaker and economist who formerly served as director of the White House National Economic Council. Previously, she was the vice chair and member of the Federal Reserve Board and under secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury, where she received the Alexander Hamilton Award.

She has also served as chair of the Standing Committee on Assessment of Vulnerabilities of the International Financial Stability Board and as G7 sherpa for the United States. In these roles, she helped resolve several major financial crises in ways that protected American families and small businesses, while restoring financial stability and growth. Brainard has extensive senior leadership experience in macro, fiscal, and monetary policymaking, as well as in payments, global financial negotiations, and investment policy on semiconductors, AI, and energy.

Dr. Brainard was an associate professor of applied economics at MIT Sloan School of Management. She received her doctorate in economics at Harvard University. She was a National Science Fellow and was also awarded a White House Fellowship.