Faculty member visiting Benedictine joins White House economic advisory panel

A visiting faculty member with Benedictine University’s Center for Values-Driven Leadership (CVDL) has been named to the White House Council of Economic Advisers as a senior economist.

In his new role, Rodney Ludema, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and distinguished visiting scholar within the CVDL’s doctoral program in Values-Driven Leadership, will consult the president on matters of domestic and international economic policy.

“This is an honor,” Ludema said. “I see it as a great opportunity for me to learn about the ins and outs of the policy process, for the government to benefit from all the learning I’ve been doing over the past few years, and as an opportunity to serve my country.”

Chaired by Alan B. Krueger, who is on leave from Princeton University where he is the Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, the White House Council of Economic Advisers is supported by a staff of nine senior economists who are charged with offering the president objective economic advice.

The council bases its recommendations and analysis on economic research and empirical evidence using the best data available to support the president in setting the nation's economic policy. For additional information, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/cea.

Ludema’s appointment, which officially begins at the end of August, is the latest accomplishment in a distinguished career focused on international trade and the political economy of trade policy. He has an extensive record of academic publications and is the recipient of a National Science Foundation grant. Ludema teaches at Georgetown in a joint appointment with the School of Foreign Service and the Department of Economics.

In July, Ludema instructed 22 executive students enrolled in Benedictine’s doctoral program in Values-Driven Leadership on international economic policy and its implications for leadership.

“These students are more mature and have more experience than many of the students I’ve been teaching, but they are also really interested in the human side of business and management – and that’s refreshing,” Ludema said. “I talk about global economics, and they’re interested in how that impacts people and what people can do in response to some of these things. It’s a really nice give-and-take. I’ve learned a lot from listening to them.”

Ludema was invited to address Benedictine students by his brother, James Ludema, Ph.D., director of the CVDL.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Rod’s success,” James Ludema said. “It is a significant opportunity for the executives in our program to learn from one of the nation’s leading economists – someone who has the ear of President Obama.”

The CVDL’s doctoral program is designed for senior executives who want to make a positive impact on the world of business through responsible leadership. More information on this program and other distinguished visiting scholars can be found at www.cvdl.org/doctorate.