Marianne Wanamaker

Wanamaker Joins US Workforce Advisory Board

Marianne Wanamaker, an associate professor of economics in the Haslam College of Business, was named to the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board in February.

Wanamaker joined the CEOs of Apple, the United States Chamber of Commerce, Siemens USA, Visa, SAP America, Walmart, Lockheed Martin, and Home Depot as well as other private sector professionals, the governors of Iowa and Indiana, and leaders of educational institutions and nonprofits on the 25-member board.

Established by executive order as part of the National Council for the American Worker, it aims to develop and implement a strategy to revamp the American workforce for the well-paid, in-demand jobs of the 21st century.

“It is an honor to be called to serve on the Workforce Policy Advisory Board,” Wanamaker says. “The economics profession has produced a wealth of evidence to inform some of the board’s key questions, and I look forward to bringing those perspectives to the board’s process.”

The board’s members will serve through July 2020. They were selected for their insight on the public and private sectors and how the two can work together to combat a skills crisis and encourage a culture of lifelong learning through education and job training. The board also will promote private-sector investments in American workers.

In April, Wanamaker’s achievements in public policy and academics were applauded when she received the Alexander Prize, an award that recognizes superior teaching and distinguished scholarship at the Haslam College of Business. She also has recently been named a co-recipient of the International Health Economics Association’s Arrow Award for research showing the Tuskegee syphilis study decreased the overall life expectancy of black men.