President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Alan Krueger to Lead the Council of Economic Advisers

Today, President Obama will announce his intent to nominate Alan B. Krueger as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA).  Following his confirmation, President Obama will designate Dr. Krueger as Chairman of CEA.  Dr. Krueger will be a key member of the President’s economic team, bringing a wealth of knowledge and decades of experience to the challenge of creating jobs and promoting economic growth.

“I am pleased to nominate Alan Krueger to lead the Council of Economic Advisers. As one of this country’s leading economists, Alan has been a key voice on a vast array of economic issues for more than two decades,” said President Obama.  “Alan understands the difficult challenges our country faces, and I have confidence that he will help us meet those challenges as one of the leaders on my economic team."

If confirmed, Dr. Krueger will continue the CEA’s important work of developing and offering the President economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy. The Council bases its recommendations and analysis on economic research and empirical evidence, using the best data available to support the President in setting our nation's economic policy.

Dr. Krueger is the Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where he has held faculty appointments in the Economics Department and Woodrow Wilson School since 1987.  He is also the founding Director of the Princeton University Survey Research Center.

Dr. Krueger previously served as Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy and Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of the Treasury (2009-10) and as Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor (1994-95).  While serving at the Treasury Department, Dr. Krueger worked on the economic analysis of a variety of programs, including the HIRE Act, the Small Business Lending Fund, Build America Bonds and the Car Allowance Rebate System, or “Cash for Clunkers.”

Dr. Krueger was the Chief Economist for the National Council on Economic Education (2003-09) and elected a member of the Executive Committee of the American Economic Association (2005-07).  In 2002 he was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Russell Sage Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the American Institutes for Research, and he has served as an editor of numerous leading economics journals.  Dr. Krueger received a B.S. from Cornell University's School of Industrial & Labor Relations (1983) and an A.M. (1985) and Ph.D. (1987) in Economics from Harvard University.