 |
 |
 |
-Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Economic Club of New York, October 14, 2011
Secretary Clinton created the Office of the Chief Economist under the Quadrennial Development and Diplomacy Review (QDDR) to advance economic statecraft as a foreign policy priority. The Secretary's vision: we need the capacity and resources to engage effectively with our partners in a world where "security is shaped in boardrooms and on trading floors as well as on battlefields."
The Office of the Chief Economist was created to augment our diplomatic arsenal and help advance that objective. Our mission has three parts: strategic advice, capacity building and outreach.
Heidi Crebo-Rediker assumed her duties on March 7, 2012 as the Department of State’s first Chief Economist. The Chief Economist will report to the Secretary through the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, advising the Secretary on emerging economic issues.
The Office of the Chief Economist provides strategic advice and analysis to the Secretary. In practice, this includes engagement both on current, hot-button, priority issues where economics and foreign policy intersect, as well as deeper dives into longer term, thematic global trends with economic underpinnings. We also serve as an analytical resource for the whole Department, and to our embassies and consulates overseas. Our relationship with regional bureaus is especially important as we seek to integrate economic issues more closely with our strategic objectives.
The Chief Economist's office also promotes economic capacity building. We are collaborating with our colleagues at the Foreign Service Institute on training and advising on specialized programs. And we will be advocating for more external opportunities to ensure our Foreign Service Officers build the networks and experiences needed to advance U.S. economic and commercial goals.
Lastly, the Office of the Chief Economist works to amplify our economic and commercial outreach. As part of the broader "E" family, The Office of the Chief Economist works closely with the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment and E-family bureaus.
