WASHINGTON–Austan Goolsbee, Chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers–who has advised Obama since he was an Illinois Senate candidate–will leave the White House later this year to return to the University of Chicago business school next fall.
“Since I first ran for the U.S. Senate, Austan has been a close friend and one of my most trusted advisers,” President Obama said.
Obama elevated the popular Goolsbee–one of the most public defenders and explainers of the administration’s economic recovery strategies–<a href="“>to chairman last Sept. 10, replacing Christina Romer as chair. Last year, she returned to teaching at the University of California, Berkeley.
Goolsbee decided to depart at this time to preserve his tenure at the U of C. The school has “been beyond understanding of my public service,” Goolsbee told the Chicago Sun-Times. Goolsbee, who advised Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, is expected to assist the 2012 Obama re-election drive–headquartered in Chicago–when he returns to his Hyde Park home.
MY BOTTOM LINE: Watch for Goolsbee to emerge as a leading “public face” for the Obama 2012 drive; he’ll be reunited with top Obama strategist David Axelrod back in Chicago.
BELOW, from the White House…..
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2011
Dr. Austan D. Goolsbee, Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, to Return to the University of Chicago
WASHINGTON — Dr. Austan D. Goolsbee, Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), announced his plans to return to his position as the Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He will return to Chicago in time for the upcoming school year. Prior to his time in the Obama Administration, he was a professor at the University of Chicago for fourteen years.
“Since I first ran for the U.S. Senate, Austan has been a close friend and one of my most trusted advisers,” President Obama said. “Over the past several years, he has helped steer our country out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and although there is still much work ahead, his insights and counsel have helped lead us toward an economy that is growing and creating millions of jobs. He is one of America’s great economic thinkers.”
Chairman Goolsbee said, “Working each day on behalf of the American people has been a rare privilege, particularly at such a historic time. While I am looking forward to returning home to Chicago, I will always be proud of the years I have spent working for this President. I believe that his judgment, his courage in confronting the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes, and his commitment to the American people have made a tremendous difference for the nation.”
In addition to serving as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Dr. Goolsbee was the Staff Economist for the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, where he helped guide the Administration’s response to the economic crisis. He has also worked as a senior adviser to the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, serving as an important link with the business community. Under his leadership, the CEA focused on policies related to small business, education, innovation and competition, which are essential to ensuring long-term economic growth.
