At the Board, our Office of Diversity and Inclusion coordinates this effort, but everyone involved in the recruiting, hiring, management, and promotion of economists is engaged in it as well. When I was Vice Chair, I knew that promoting diversity among Fed economists was a priority for Chairman Bernanke, and it continues to be a priority for me.
In 1977, when I joined the Board staff, I was one of relatively few women economists here. Since then, there have been significant gains in diversity at the Board and throughout the System. The Federal Reserve is committed to achieving further progress, and to better understanding the challenges to improving diversity throughout the economics profession.