Gene Sperling
| Gene Sperling | |
|---|---|
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| Sperling at the Financial Times View from the Top conference in 2011 | |
| Director of the National Economic Council | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2011 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Summers |
| In office December 1996 – 2000 |
|
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Laura Tyson |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence Lindsey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 24, 1958 Ann Arbor, United States |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota Yale Law School Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania |
Gene B. Sperling (born December 24, 1958) is an American lawyer and political figure,[1] currently serving as a Counselor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. He is also on the staff of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he serves as Senior Fellow for Economic Policy and Director of the Center on Universal Education. He has held several high-level economic policy positions in the U.S. government, and on January 7, 2011, President Obama selected him to become Director of the National Economic Council.[2]
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[edit] Life and career
Sperling was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he attended the alternative Community High School. He received a B.A. in political science from the University of Minnesota, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and attended The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In the 1990s Gene Sperling worked for New York Governor Mario Cuomo.
During Bill Clinton's first term as President, from 1993–1996, Sperling served as deputy director of the National Economic Council while the Council was directed by Robert Rubin, who was promoted to Treasury Secretary. Sperling became National Economic Adviser to Clinton and director of the National Economic Council from 1996 to 2000.
As director of the NEC. Sperling was a principal negotiator with then-Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers of the Financial Modernization Act of 1999, also known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Gramm-Leach-Bliley repealed large portions of the depression-era Glass-Stegall Act allowing banks, securities firms and insurance companies to merge.[3] President Barack Obama believes that the repeal of Glass–Steagall helped cause the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis.[4]
Also in 1999, together with United States Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky, Sperling successfully negotiated and concluded the China-World Trade Organization agreement in Beijing, paving the way for China to enter the WTO in 2001.[5]
Sperling was the chief economic advisor for Hillary Clinton during her presidential campaign.[6][7]
According to Bloomberg News, Sperling earned $887,727 from Goldman Sachs in 2008 and $158,000 for speeches mostly to financial companies.[8]
Sperling is the author of The Pro-Growth Progressive, a book arguing that liberals should seek to harness market forces in pursuing progressive goals, and co-author of What Works In Girls' Education?. He was also a consultant for the television series The West Wing.
In January 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Sperling as the director of the National Economic Council.
[edit] Works
- Dellinger, Walter; Sperling, Gene B. (1989). "Abortion and the Supreme Court: The Retreat from Roe v. Wade". University of Pennsylvania Law Review 138 (1): 83–118. JSTOR 3312180.
- Herz, Barbara; Sperling, Gene B. (2004). What Works In Girls' Education: Evidence And Policies From The Developing World. New York: Council on Foreign Relations Press. ISBN 0876093446.
- Sperling, Gene B. (1985). "Judicial Right Declaration and Entrenched Discrimination". Yale Law Journal 94 (7): 1741–1765. JSTOR 796220.
- Treanor, William Michael; Sperling, Gene B. (1993). "Prospective Overruling and the Revival of 'Unconstitutional' Statutes". Columbia Law Review 93 (8): 1902–1955. JSTOR 1123007.
[edit] Important H1B Visa Power Broker
In the history of the H-1B program, few people have played a role as important as that of Gene Sperling, who was appointed by President Obama to head the National Economic Council.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Montgomery, Lori; Dennis, Brady (January 7, 2011). "Obama names Sperling to head National Economic Council". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010701653.html. "Sperling is not an economist by training, he is valued as a savvy political strategist with proven ability to extract victories on fiscal issues from a hostile Congress."
- ^ CNN.com: Volcker stepping down from White House advisory post
- ^ National Economic Council, Profile of Gene Sperling
- ^ Wall Street Journal, Ten Questions for Those Fixing the Financial Mess, March 10, 2009.
- ^ National Economic Council, Profile of Gene Sperling
- ^ A look at the Clinton economic plan , Kai Ryssdal interviews Gene Sperling, Marketplace, January 31, 2008
- ^ The Advisers Are Writing Our Future David Leonhardt, The New York Times, April 18, 2007.
- ^ Bloomberg News, Geithner Aides Reaped Millions Working for Banks, Hedge Funds, October 14, 2009.
- ^ http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9204338/Obama_appointee_Sperling_was_key_H_1B_broker_?source=toc "Obama appointee Sperling was key H-1B broker"
[edit] External links
- Official page on the site of the Council on Foreign Relations
- Commonwealth Club of California, archived speech
- "The Pro-Growth Progressive" - Gene Sperling speaks at Google
- Obama appointee Sperling was key H-1B broker
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Laura Tyson |
Director of the National Economic Council 1996–2000 |
Succeeded by Lawrence Lindsey |
| Preceded by Lawrence Summers |
Director of the National Economic Council 2011–present |
Incumbent |
