Economist Janet Yellen To Speak At Brandeis

WALTHAM, MA — The first woman to lead America’s central bank will be the featured speaker at Brandeis International Business School during a celebration of the business school's 25th anniversary, Saturday.

In a moderated conversation with Stephen Cecchetti, the Rosen Chair in International Finance at Brandeis University, Yellen is set to cover topics from the prospects of the U.S. economy, the importance of central bank independence to how best to combat income inequality and climate change.

Yellen is now an American economist, and distinguished fellow in residence at the Brookings Institution. She served as the chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, and as vice chair from 2010 to 2014.

Yellen was nominated by President Barack Obama to succeed Ben Bernanke as chair. When she took office in 2010, she began the process of reversing some policies that had been enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. She also oversaw a program to sell Treasury and mortgage bonds that the Fed had purchased to stimulate the economy. Historians note that she was able to help stimulate job and wage growth while she maintaining low interest rates, according to her biography.

The event is part of Brandeis International Business School’s Reunion Weekend and is open to all Brandeis alumni, faculty, students and staff. If you're not one of those, watch the event live online at 2 p.m. here.

Brandeis's business school was founded in 1994 as the Graduate School of International Economics and Finance.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).