Three financial policy experts will join Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (MSB) as distinguished fellows working at the intersection of finance and public policy, the MSB announced Feb. 10.
Joining the Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy, the MSB’s center for bipartisan financial policy research, are Rostin Behnam (COL ’00), former chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates futures markets; Lael Brainard, a former director of the White House National Economic Council, vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board and undersecretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury; and Patrick McHenry, a 10-term member of the House of Representatives from North Carolina who served on the House Financial Services Committee.
Reena Aggarwal, professor of finance and director of the Psaros Center, said the initiative will advance the center’s impact and allow fellows to connect with students.
“The fellows’ expertise will be instrumental as we continue to advance our mission to shape the future of global finance by impacting policy and practice,” Aggarwal wrote to The Hoya. “They have diverse backgrounds and experiences at the intersection of policymaking and the financial markets, having served across presidential administrations, regulatory agencies and Congress.”
Aggarwal said the fellows will engage the Georgetown community through mentoring students and offering in-class guest lectures.
“The fellows are especially looking forward to the opportunity to engage with our students and mentor the next generation of leaders,” Aggarwal wrote. “Their experience and expertise in both the private and public sector is most valuable for our students.”
Paul Almeida, dean of the MSB, said the new fellows will be instrumental in expanding the global mission of business programs and initiatives at Georgetown.
“Last week, our school hosted a conference at our new location in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the topic of the future of Dubai as a global business hub,” Almeida wrote to The Hoya. “We were pleased to have both Reena Aggarwal, the director of the Psaros Center, and distinguished fellow Rostin Behnam among our speakers at the event. This is an example of how the policy discussions we frame from Washington, D.C., impact business around the world.”
Brainard, who serves as director of the global economy and development program at the Brookings Institution, a D.C.-based public policy think tank, and previously worked as deputy national economic adviser in the Clinton administration, said her mix of public and private expertise will be especially relevant for pre-professional discussions.
“I know many students at Georgetown are also interested in public service, just as I was as an undergraduate. Many combine public service with private-sector careers, which is something I’ve done as well,” Brainard wrote to The Hoya.
“At Georgetown, you have the tools, and if you have the sense of mission, there are so many ways to contribute,” she wrote. “You can work at the state and local level, in the federal government or even in the private sector, where many companies play a role in expanding opportunities for Americans.”
Behnam, who has also worked as an advocate managing climate risk, said his past nonpartisan work at the CFTC will have continued relevance at the Psaros Center.
“As chair of the CFTC, I frequently had to resolve policy-related issues that were multifaceted and had numerous constituents, often with very different points of view,” Behnam wrote to The Hoya.
“One of my steadfast principles as chair, and one that I will bring to the Psaros Center, is hearing every position, regardless of who is bringing it to the table. In my view, digesting all points of view leads to the most balanced and informed decision, and that is critical to policy making,” he added.
In a virtual introduction video posted Feb. 11, McHenry, who revamped cryptocurrency governance while a member of the House of Representatives, said he plans to explore market economics in his role at the Psaros Center.
“The Psaros Center is unique,” McHenry said in the video. “It has a higher view than day-to-day politics or the passage of a law or the passage of a regulation.”
“It wants to look at the overall health of the markets, and whether or not our financial markets maintain the United States as the global leader in the deployment and use of capital.”
Aggarwal said the Psaros Center represents an important part of Georgetown’s larger policy work.
“Finance has no boundaries, it is global in nature, and financial policy has to reflect the global landscape,” Aggarwal wrote.
