C.U. Alumni Nominated to Top Posts in Treasury Dept.

Two Cornell alumni were chosen Sunday to fill senior posts in the Treasury Department, which faces the daunting task of saving the nation’s crumbling economy. President Barack Obama nominated Alan Krueger ’83 as the assistant secretary for economic policy and David Cohen ’85 as the assistant secretary for terrorist financing.
Apart from Krueger and Cohen, Obama also chose Kim Wallace to be the assistant secretary for legislative affairs. The three positions will only be made official after a confirmation from the Senate.
“With the leadership of these accomplished individuals and our whole economic team, I am absolutely confident that we will turn around this economy and seize this opportunity to secure a more prosperous future,” Obama said in a White House press release.
All three nominees are now working as Counselors to the Secretary of Treasury.
Krueger, also a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University, graduated from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations with honors. Krueger once served as the chief economist at the Labor Department, according to Bloomberg News, and frequently contributes to The New York Times “Economix” blog.
Cohen obtained his B.A. magna cum laude from Cornell, according to a statement from the White House. He had extensive experience working in the Treasury Department and was once awarded the Treasury Secretary’s Award for outstanding service. Cohen later joined the law firm WilmerHale, where he was also a partner.
A few prominent top posts in the Treasury Department are still vacant, according to Reuters. The nominees for Deputy Treasury Secretary and two crucial undersecretaries are yet to be announced.