Dr. Lisa Cook Confirmed as First Black Woman on Federal Reserve Board

Michigan State University Economics Professor Lisa Cook is the latest Biden-Harris administration nominee to break the glass ceiling, this time on the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

Cook, well-known for her work on racial and gender equality, won Senate confirmation as the first Black woman to serve on the Fed Board in the agency’s 109-year history.

The history-making moment required a tie-breaking vote in the Senate from Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to hold her position.

Each of the Senate’s 50 GOP members voted against Cook, while all 50 Democrats and Harris cast ballots in favor of the nomination.

“The Fed Board needs governors who understand how the economy works for Americans across race, gender, and class. Dr. Cook’s deep expertise makes her exceptionally qualified to serve,” Michele Holder, president of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, wrote in a statement.

An adviser on the Biden-Harris and Obama-Biden transition teams, Cook will help set fiscal policy on the Fed Board.

“I was proud to cast my vote for Dr. Cook,” Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock stated.

“Her decades of experience as an economist and her Georgian sense of fairness will help promote balance and innovation to strengthen our economy,” Warnock concluded.