Cecilia Elena Rouse ( ; born December18, 1963) is an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

and the President of the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as Brookings, is an American think tank that conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics (and tax policy), metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, global econo ...

. She served as the 30th Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers between 2021 and 2023. She is the first

Black American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

to hold this position. Prior to this, she served as the dean of the

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (''abbrev.'' SPIA; formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of co ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

nominated Rouse to be Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in November 2020. Rouse was overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate on March 2, 2021, by a vote of 95–4. She resigned on March 31, 2023, to return to teaching. In January 2024, she became the 9th President of the

Early life and education

Rouse grew up in

Del Mar, California Del Mar (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Of the Sea") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1885 as a seaside resort, the city incorporated in 1959. The population was 3,954 ...

, and graduated from

Torrey Pines High School Torrey Pines High School is a high school in the North County area of San Diego, California. The school is named after the Torrey pine tree that grows in the area. Torrey Pines High School is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School Di ...

in 1981. She has two siblings: Forest Rouse, a physicist; and

Carolyn Rouse Carolyn Moxley Rouse (born ) is an American anthropologist, professor and filmmaker. She is Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University. Biography Rouse grew up in Del Mar, California, the daughter of a physicist ...

, an anthropologist and professor at Princeton University. Her father Carl A. Rouse was a research physicist who received his Ph.D. from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 1956. Her mother Lorraine worked as a school psychologist. Rouse received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1986 and a PhD in economics from

in 1992.

Career

After earning her doctorate, Rouse joined the faculty at Princeton University in 1992. Rouse served in the National Economic Council under President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

from 1998 to 1999. Rouse served as a member of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

Council of Economic Advisers The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a United States agency within the Executive Office of the President established in 1946, which advises the president of the United States on economic policy. The CEA provides much of the empirical resea ...

from 2009 to 2011. Rouse has served as the dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and is the Lawrence and Shirley Katzman and Lewis and Anna Ernst Professor in the Economics of Education. She is the founding director of the Princeton University Education Research Section, is a member of the

National Academy of Education The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States that advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd currently consists of over 300 elect ...

and a research associate of the

National Bureau of Economic Research The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is an American private nonprofit research organization "committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic co ...

. Her primary research interests are in

labor economics Labour economics seeks to understand the functioning and dynamics of the markets for wage labour. Labour is a commodity that is supplied by labourers, usually in exchange for a wage paid by demanding firms. Because these labourers exist as pa ...

with a focus on the economics of education. Rouse has served as an editor of the ''

Journal of Labor Economics The ''Journal of Labor Economics'' is an academic journal published quarterly by the University of Chicago Press on international research examining issues affecting the economy as well as social and private behavior. It covers various aspects of l ...

'' and as a senior editor of '' The Future of Children''. She was a member of the board of directors of

MDRC MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization based in New York City; Washington, DC; and Oakland and Los Angeles, California. MDRC conducts rigorous studies of programs and policies that affect people with low ...

, and a director of the T. Rowe Price Equity Mutual Funds and an advisory board member of the T. Rowe Price Fixed Income Mutual Funds.

Biden administration

President

nominated Rouse to become Chair of the

. The

Senate Banking Committee The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (formerly the Committee on Banking and Currency), also known as the Senate Banking Committee, has jurisdiction over matters related to banks and banking, price controls, ...

held hearings on her nomination on January 28, 2021. On February 4, 2021, the committee favorably reported Rouse's nomination to the Senate floor. The Senate confirmed Rouse by a vote of 95–4 on March 2, 2021. In November 2022, it was announced that Rouse would be leaving her position as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers following the 2022 midterms. In February 2023,

Jared Bernstein Jared Bernstein (born December 26, 1955) is an American government official who was the chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers. He is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. From 2009 to 2011, Bernstein was ...

was nominated as her successor by President Biden.

Selected publications

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Abstract.
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References

External links

Biography
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