Edward B. Montgomery (born July 3, 1955) is an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

, academic, and politician who currently serves as the president of

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

. He is one of the key players in helping pull the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

out of the automotive crisis. He served in President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

's administration and was coined the ''auto czar'' of the United States. Montgomery graduated from

Taylor Allderdice High School Taylor Allderdice High School is a public high school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It opened in 1927 and is part of the Pittsburgh Public Schools district. It was named for industrialist and Squir ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, in 1973 and was inducted into their alumni hall of fame in 2010. He earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

'' magna cum laude'' from Pennsylvania State University in 1976 and his

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

and doctoral degrees in economics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1980 and 1982, respectively. His

doctoral dissertation A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

was titled "Tests of Alternative Hypotheses on the Decline in the Personal Saving Rate". From 1981 to 1990, Montgomery served as an assistant/associate professor in the Department of Economics at Michigan State University. In 1990, he was appointed at the rank of associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he became a full professor in 1992. From 1997 to 1999 Montgomery served as chief economist of the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploy ...

in the administration of President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. From 2000 to 2001, he served as

Deputy Secretary of Labor The United States deputy secretary of labor is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Labor. In the United States federal government, the deputy secretary oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department of Lab ...

, the second highest position in that department. From 2003 to 2009, he served as dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. In late 2008, after the election of

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, Montgomery led the presidential transition team concerned with the Department of Labor. In February 2009, he was named by Obama to the

Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry The Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry was an ''ad hoc'' group of United States cabinet-level and other officials that was formed by President Obama to deal with the financial bailout of automakers Chrysler and General Motors. Based on a ...

. On March 30, 2009, Obama appointed Montgomery as Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers. This position oversees the health of the struggling United States automobile industry as a result of the Automotive industry crisis of 2008–2009. On August 15, 2010, Montgomery became the Dean of the Georgetown Public Policy Institute at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. In 2011, Montgomery was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In April 2017, Montgomery was announced as the ninth president of

. He began his tenure as president on August 1, 2017. In his inaugural address, Montgomery echoed an expression used during the era of WMU's second president Paul Sangren, "That All May Learn," and noted the University's commitment to excellence and inclusion. During his first year at WMU, Montgomery has spoken at length on the need for transformational change. His 2017 and 2018 State of the University addresses detail this philosophy and the specific initiatives proposed to meet that goal. Montgomery married in 1994 and has three children. His father was pioneering labor historian David Montgomery.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Edward B. 1955 births 21st-century American economists Clinton administration personnel Chief Economists of the United States Department of Labor Economists from Pennsylvania Georgetown University faculty Harvard University alumni Living people Michigan State University faculty Obama administration personnel Pennsylvania State University alumni People in the automobile industry Presidents of Western Michigan University Taylor Allderdice High School alumni United States Deputy Secretaries of Labor University of Maryland, College Park faculty University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences people Deans of the McCourt School of Public Policy