Chief Economist Dr. Ellen Hughes-Cromwick serves as the Secretary of Commerce's principal adviser on economic matters and as a member of the Secretary's principal management team. She is on leave as an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, following a distinguished, 18-year career with the Ford Motor Company as Director and Chief Global Economist.
Dr. Hughes-Cromwick joined the Ford Motor company in 1996, and was promoted to Chief Global Economist in 2004, where she focused on global economic and automotive industry forecasts used to support Ford's business strategy, finance, and planning. She also served as a senior economist at Mellon Bank from 1990 to 1996. Prior to joining Mellon Bank, Ellen was assistant professor at Trinity College and also served as a staff economist at the President's Council of Economic Advisers. She is a past president of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), and recently completed a 5-year term on the Board of Directors for the National Bureau for Economic Research.
Dr. Hughes-Cromwick works to support economic education initiatives and has served on the NABE steering committee to implement the Certification Program for business economists (CBE). She was recently awarded the CBE designation and continues to support ongoing improvements in the CBE. Ellen is also a Board member of the NABE Foundation which sponsors education scholarships for professionals attending NABE CBE courses, the NABE Annual Meeting, and the NABE Policy Conference. She also served in 2013 – 2014 on the Board of the Council for Economic Education, a leading organization supporting K – 12 economic and financial literacy education. During 2005 – 2008, Ellen was on the Board of Directors, and also served a one-year term as Board Chair, of Operation ABLE, a nonprofit organization in Detroit which helps workers get needed skills training and job placements. Dr. Hughes-Cromwick received her Bachelor's degree in Government and French from the University of Notre Dame. She earned a Master's degree in International Development and a Ph.D. in Economics from Clark University in Massachusetts.