Former Obama Administration Chief Economist Joins Third Way’s Newly Renamed Climate and Energy Program

Washington, DC - Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, the former Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Obama Administration, joined the newly renamed Climate and Energy Program at Third Way as the Senior Fellow for Clean Energy Economy on October 1, 2019. In this new role, Hughes-Cromwick will provide expert insight and analysis on building climate policy solutions that are fair, equitable, and expand economic opportunities for American workers. Most recently, Hughes-Cromwick served as the Senior Economist and Associate Director of Social Science and Policy at the University of Michigan Energy Institute.

At the Department of Commerce, Hughes-Cromwick worked on several administration initiatives to improve data quality, measure the digital economy, and expand manufacturing, trade, and investment. She assisted Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on global macroeconomic matters in support of her commercial diplomacy, trade, and foreign direct investment initiatives. Hughes-Cromwick also supported the development of the Obama Administration’s economic forecast.

Before joining the U.S. Department of Commerce, Hughes-Cromwick was Chief Global Economist at Ford Motor Company. She led Ford’s global corporate economics group with major responsibility for the Company’s global economic, financial, and automotive industry forecasts used to support business strategy, finance, and planning. Hughes-Cromwick was part of the team to steer the company toward shoring up its available cash to avoid bankruptcy and a government bailout. Ford was the only domestic automaker to avoid such a fate.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ellen Hughes-Cromwick to the Third Way family,” said Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for the Climate and Energy Program at Third Way. “Energy touches every part of our economy. We need to truly maximize the economic opportunities and understand how to address the challenges that will emerge as we move to net-zero carbon emissions in every sector, state, and region. As a leading economist in the private sector, government, and academia, Ellen brings an unrivaled level of experience to this task.”

“It’s an honor to work with such a talented team at Third Way, and to have an opportunity to work on climate and clean energy policy issues important to job creation and building America’s economic future,” said Ellen Hughes-Cromwick.