Janet Yellen: the story on HearLore

Harvard To Berkeley Transition

Yellen joined Harvard University as assistant professor of economics in 1971 teaching until 1976. She was one of only two female faculty members in Harvard's economics department alongside Rachel McCulloch. The pair wrote several academic papers together including work on efficiency wage theory. In 1977 she took a staff economist position at the Federal Reserve Board recruited by Edwin M. Truman. While working there she met economist George Akerlof in the bank's cafeteria. They married in June 1978 less than a year after meeting. Akerlof had already accepted a teaching position at London School of Economics so Yellen left her Fed post to accompany him. The couple lived in the United Kingdom for two years before returning to America due to identity issues feeling American not English. In 1980 Yellen joined UC Berkeley faculty where she taught at Haas School of Business conducting macroeconomics research. She earned outstanding teaching awards twice in 1985 and 1988 becoming just the second woman at Berkeley-Haas to earn tenure in 1982. By 1992 she held the Bernard T. Rocca Jr. Professor title.

When was Janet Yellen born and where did she grow up?

Janet Louise Yellen was born on the 13th of August 1946 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Her father Julius worked as a family physician from their home while her mother Anna taught elementary school before becoming a stay-at-home parent.

What academic degrees did Janet Yellen earn and which universities did she attend?

Janet Yellen graduated summa cum laude from Brown University in 1967 before earning her doctorate from Yale University in 1971 with a dissertation titled Employment Output and Capital Accumulation in an Open Economy. She later joined Harvard University as assistant professor of economics in 1971 and became faculty at UC Berkeley in 1980.

How many times has Janet Yellen served as Federal Reserve chair and when did she take office?

Janet Yellen assumed office as Federal Reserve Board member on the 12th of August 1994 serving a full 14-year term. She became vice chair following Senate confirmation the 4th of October 2010 and led the Federal Reserve to increase key interest rates for the first time since 2006 on the 16th of December 2015.

When was Janet Yellen confirmed as Treasury Secretary and what major tax policy did she implement?

President-elect Biden nominated Janet Yellen as Treasury Secretary on the 30th of November 2020 and the Senate confirmed her vote 84-15 on the 25th of January 2021. In April 2021 she proposed a global minimum corporate tax rate that Group Seven finance ministers agreed to reinstate at least 15% on the 5th of June 2021.

Who were Janet Yellen's parents and what was their profession during her childhood?

Janet Yellen's father Julius worked as a family physician from the ground floor of their home while her mother Anna taught elementary school before becoming a stay-at-home parent. The family had Polish Jewish ancestry and her father's relatives were deported or murdered during the Holocaust in Sokołów Podlaski.

Janet Yellen.

Harvard To Berkeley Transition

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Common questions

When was Janet Yellen born and where did she grow up?

What academic degrees did Janet Yellen earn and which universities did she attend?

How many times has Janet Yellen served as Federal Reserve chair and when did she take office?

When was Janet Yellen confirmed as Treasury Secretary and what major tax policy did she implement?

Who were Janet Yellen's parents and what was their profession during her childhood?

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