Lael Brainard

Under Secretary for International Affairs
U.S. Department of the Treasury

Lael Brainard was confirmed as the Under Secretary for International Affairs on April 20, 2010.  In this role, Ms. Brainard will advance the Administration’s agenda of strengthening U.S. leadership in the global economy to foster growth, create economic opportunities for Americans and address transnational economic challenges, including development, climate change, food security and financial inclusion.

Ms. Brainard most recently served as Vice President and Founding Director of the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution, where she held the Bernard L. Schwartz Chair in International Economics and directed the Bookings Initiative on Competitiveness.  Her prior government service includes tenure as the Deputy National Economic Adviser and Deputy Assistant to the President on International Economics during the Clinton Administration, addressing challenges such as the Asian financial crisis and China’s access to the World Trade Organization.  She also served as the U.S. Sherpa to the G-8.

Previously, Ms. Brainard was an Associate Professor of Applied Economics at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.  She also worked at McKinsey & Co. and separately on microfinance in West Africa.

Ms. Brainard received her masters and doctoral degrees in Economics from Harvard University, where she was a National Science Foundation Fellow.  Ms. Brainard graduated with highest honors from Wesleyan University, and she is also the recipient of a White House Fellowship and a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship.