Dr. Doug Holtz-Eakin, the former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the former chief economist of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, is one of the nation’s top economists. He has served at the highest levels of government and is well-known on Capitol Hill and in Washington’s top think tanks. Having been involved in policy, politics, academia, and government, he is unique in his diverse, multifaceted economic background and offers audiences a 360-degree view of the economy. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Holtz-Eakin is funny, lively, and humorous as he breaks down complicated issues in his candid presentations and uses everyday examples and anecdotes to illustrate what the future holds for tax policy, budget outlook, energy issues, healthcare, financial reform, and more. A distinguished economic advisor, academic, and strategist, he is skilled at forecasting policy changes on the horizon and recommending sound strategies for mitigating risk to your industry.
Policy Veteran. Holtz-Eakin is the current president of the American Action Forum policy institute, the founder of the health care think tank Center for Health and Economy, and a former commissioner on the congressionally-chartered Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. He was also formerly the chief economist of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, where he helped to formulate policies addressing the 2000–2001 recession and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
From 2003–2005, he served as the director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, where he provided budgetary and policy analysis to the U.S. Congress. During his tenure, CBO assisted Congress as they addressed numerous policies, notably the 2003 tax cuts, the Medicare prescription drug bill, and Social Security reform. During 2007 and 2008, he was director of domestic and economic policy for the John McCain presidential campaign. Following the 2008 election, Dr. Holtz-Eakin was the president of DHE Consulting, an economic and policy consulting firm providing insight and research to a broad cross-section of clients.
Economics Outside the Government. Holtz-Eakin has built an international reputation as an economic scholar. He has performed extensive research in areas of applied economic policy, econometric methods, and entrepreneurship. At Syracuse University, he became the trustee professor of economics at the Maxwell School, chairman of the department of economics, and associate director of the Center for Policy Research.
Dr. Holtz-Eakin has also held positions in several Washington-based think tanks. He was a senior fellow at the Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics, the director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, and the Paul A. Volcker chair in international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also been a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Family Business Foundation. Holtz-Eakin serves on the boards of the Tax Foundation, National Economists Club and Center for a Responsible Federal Budget, and the Research Advisory Board of the Center for Economic Development.