Steven Landefeld, Ph.D.

Dr. J. Steven Landefeld is an internationally recognized economist specializing in macroeconomics and economic measurement. He was director of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) for nearly 20 years where he led a long string of pioneering innovations in economic measurement and management.

Prior to coming to BEA, Landefeld served as chief of staff for President Reagan’s and President Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. He has led numerous international working groups that have shaped international economic measurement, including a new set of United Nations guidelines published in March. Landefeld has published widely in the economic literature and his most recent National Bureau of Economic Research volume, with Dale Jorgenson and Paul Schreyer, “Measuring Economic Sustainability and Progress”, is scheduled for publication in September by the University of Chicago Press.

Landefeld is the recipient of numerous domestic and international awards for his work, including the “Presidential Distinguished Executive Award”; the “Julius Shiskin Award” from the American Statistical Association; the “Harry Freeman Award” from the Coalition of Services Industries; the “Henri Willem Methorst Medal” from the International Statistical Institute; and the “David O. Cooke Award” from the American Society for Public Administration. During his tenure, the Bureau of Economic Analysis was consistently rated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Management and Policy (OPM) and outside organizations as one of the most effective agencies in government. Landefeld was recently named a fellow of the National Association for Business Economics.

Landefeld has testified before Congress on topics ranging from the economic recovery to the measurement of economic well-being. A significant part of his career has been spent working with and giving talks to business, professional and international groups. He has been regularly cited in national and international print media, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek and The Economist. Landefeld has also been a regular guest on radio and television, including appearances on C-SPAN, NPR, PBS, CBS, CNBC and CNN.

Landefeld is currently a lecturer at his alma mater, the University of Maryland. He serves on executive boards for the Conference on Research in Income and Wealth of the National Bureau of Economic Research and the National Association for Business Economics, and serves on an expert panel for the National Academy of Sciences. He also continues to provide consulting and expert advice to international organizations and nonprofit groups.