Who is Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin?
As one of the 12 district Fed presidents, Barkin is a solid authority on the subject of the economy and monetary policy
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At the beginning of May, Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin drew a picture of a long and slow economic recovery in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic.
"Despite unprecedented measures by both the Fed and fiscal authorities, things won’t be returning to normal quickly," he wrote at the time. "As I wrote a few weeks ago, the pace will likely be slow, as businesses and consumers adapt to a world where personal interaction creates health risks."
As one of the 12 district Fed presidents, Barkin is a solid authority on the subject of the economy and monetary policy.
In his role as leader of the Richmond Fed, Barkin, 59, is responsible for the bank's monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation and payment services, as well as oversight of the Fed's information technology organization.
Before entering the central bank world, Barkin worked at McKinsey for 30 years, including serving as the company's chief financial officer from 2009 to 2015 and as chief risk officer from 2015 to 2017.
He also served on the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 2009 to 2014, chairing that bank’s board from 2013 to 2014.
Born in Tampa, Barkin earned his undergraduate, MBA and law degrees from Harvard.