Alice M. Rivlin
- Vice Chair, Board of Governors, 1996–1999
- Born: March 4, 1931
- Died: May 14, 2019
Alice M. Rivlin served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from June 25, 1996, to July 16, 1999.
Rivlin was born in 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1952, she received a bachelor’s degree from Bryn Mawr College. She earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in economics from Radcliffe College, in 1955 and 1958, respectively.
During her career, Rivlin held a variety of positions in nonprofits, government, and academia. She first worked at the Brookings Institution from 1957 to 1966. She then became deputy assistant secretary for program coordination at the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) from 1966 to 1968. In 1968 and 1969, Rivlin was HEW’s assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. Returning to the Brookings Institution in 1969, she worked there on and off, eventually serving as its director of economic studies. She was also the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office from 1975 to 1983.
In 1992, Rivlin became the Hirst Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. From 1993 to 1994, she served as deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Rivlin became OMB’s director in 1994, and held that title until her appointment to the Board of Governors in 1996. After leaving the Board, she returned to Brookings, where she most recently served as a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program.
Rivlin also taught at Harvard University, served on multiple corporations’ boards of directors, and was president of the American Economic Association. She wrote many books, as well as numerous newspaper, magazine, and journal articles. She also was a regular commentator on Nightly Business Report.
Rivlin received a number of honors and awards during her career. She received a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship in 1983 and the Moynihan Prize in 2008. Also in 2008, she was named one of the greatest public servants of the last 25 years by the Council for Excellence in Government. In 2010, Rivlin received a presidential appointment to Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
Rivlin died in 2019.
Written by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. See disclaimer.
