Lisa Cook: podcast appearances and interviews

Lisa DeNell Cook, born in 1964, is an American economist serving as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors since 2022. She is the first Black woman to sit on the board. Prior to this role, she was elected in January 2022 to the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and has been a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Cook has held a position as a professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University and has been a member of the American Economic Association's Executive Committee. Her expertise lies at the intersection of macroeconomics and economic history, with a focus on international economics, particularly the Russian economy. She has advised policymakers across various governments, including the Obama Administration, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Her research encompasses African-American history and innovation economics, and she is recognized as one of the few prominent Black female economists. Cook has been active in mentoring Black women and advocating for diversity within economics. In 2022, she was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate to serve as a Federal Reserve governor. Her tenure has included legal and political challenges, as she was controversially removed from her position by President Donald Trump in 2025, a move that was later deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2026.