Who We Are Visiting Fellows

The Visiting Fellows program brings renowned scholars, policymakers, and practitioners for visits to Chicago Booth. These experts collaborate with Booth scholars and enrich Booth’s research community, while studying issues related to global markets and economic policies.


2024–25 Fellows

 

Loretta Mester

Loretta Mester
Visiting Fellow

Formerly of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Loretta J. Mester was president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland from June 1, 2014 through June 30, 2024. In that role, she participated in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy and oversaw more than 1,000 employees based at the Bank’s Cleveland office and Branch offices in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh who conduct economic research, supervise banking institutions, promote community development, and provide payment services to depository institutions and the U.S. Treasury. Mester was the 11th president of the Cleveland Fed and represented the Fourth District on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

Mester began her career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia in 1985 as an economist and was executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia prior to her appointment as president and CEO of the Cleveland Fed on June 1, 2014.

Mester is an adjunct professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Fellow with the Wharton Initiative on Financial Policy and Regulation. She has also taught in the undergraduate finance and M.B.A. programs at Wharton and in the Ph.D. program in finance at New York University.

Mester is a member of the board of directors of Renaissance Re and of the Haverford Trust Company, a member of the advisory council of the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute, and a contributor to CNBC, the business and financial news network.
In addition, she is a trustee of the Cleveland Clinic, a trustee of the Musical Arts Association (Cleveland Orchestra), a director of the Council for Economic Education, a founding director of the Financial Intermediation Research Society, a member of the CNBC Global Financial Wellness Advisory Board, a member of the Global Interdependence Center’s College of Central Bankers, a fellow of the National Association of Business Economics, a member of the senior council of the Central Bank Research Association (CEBRA), a member of the advisory board of the Financial Intermediation Network of European Studies (FINEST), and an editor of the Journal of Financial Services Research. She is a member of the American Economic Association, the American Finance Association, the Econometric Society, and the Financial Management Association International.

Mester was born in Baltimore. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and economics from Barnard College of Columbia University. She earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Princeton University, where she was a National Science Foundation Fellow.

 

Ben Broadbent

Benjamin Broadbent
Visiting Fellow

Formerly of the Bank of England

Dr Ben Broadbent completed his term on 30 June 2024. Ben had specific responsibility for the Bank of England's monetary policy, including monetary analysis, banknotes, and data & analytics transformation. He also had shared responsibility for its international macroeconomic analysis, strategy and engagement.

Ben was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, Financial Policy Committee and Prudential Regulation Committee. Previously, he was an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee (June 2011 to June 2014).

Previously Ben was Senior European Economist at Goldman Sachs (2000-2011), during which time he researched and wrote widely on the UK economy and monetary policy. Before that, he was formerly an Assistant Professor of Economics at Columbia University (1997- 2000) and an Economic Adviser at HM Treasury (1989-1991 and 1993-1996).

He has a BA in Economics from Cambridge University and a PhD in Economics at Harvard University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

 

Charles EvansCharles Evans
Visiting Senior Research Associate

Formerly of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Charles L. Evans is a 31-year veteran of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. As an advisor and policymaker attending FOMC meetings since 1995, his policy experiences span a broad set of episodes unique in post-war economic history. He became President and CEO in September 2007 and served for 15 years. During this time, Evans was recognized as a significant strategic thought leader on the Federal Open Market Committee. His persistent advocacy for transparent communications and forward guidance facilitated the Committee’s adoption of the Evans rule in December 2012, more explicit Committee projections for future policy rates, and enhancements to the long-run strategy of the Committee for making monetary policy. Evans is an accomplished economic researcher.

His contributions on dynamic modeling are widely cited and have been incorporated in central bank models around the world to assess policy effectiveness. As a long-time Federal Reserve executive, he navigated a complex governance structure. He chaired Federal Reserve System committees that oversaw strategic assessments of Federal Reserve Bank operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as investment activities to fund both defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans for over 20,000 employees.

Past Fellows