Donald Kohn

From Grokipedia

Donald Lewis Kohn (born November 7, 1942) is an American economist who served as the 18th Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 2006 to 2010, having joined the Board in 2002.

Kohn began his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City in 1970 after earning a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan in 1971 and a B.A. from the College of Wooster in 1964. He advanced through various staff positions at the Federal Reserve Board, including as Director of the Division of Monetary Affairs from 1987 to 2001, where he advised on open market operations and served as liaison with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

As Vice Chairman under Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke, Kohn contributed significantly to the Federal Reserve's response to the 2008 financial crisis, helping devise strategies to mitigate its effects through unconventional monetary tools and international coordination among central banks. His expertise in monetary policy, financial regulation, and macroeconomics earned him recognition, including a lifetime achievement award from Central Banking in 2017 for his role in fostering global central bank cooperation.

Following his tenure at the Fed, Kohn joined the Brookings Institution as a senior fellow, continuing to influence policy discussions on central bank independence and monetary strategy while serving on advisory committees such as the FDIC's Advisory Committee on Banking Policy and Supervision.

In brief

Donald Kohn was a Fed lifer: staff work, then the Board, then the vice chair’s office during the crisis years. He knew the building’s plumbing before he was asked to speak for it.

After four decades he left for Brookings and a London policy seat, still in the small club of people who can explain a balance sheet without raising their voice.