Keith Hennessey

"These are unprecedented times, and anyone who tells me that they know what the economy will look like as little as six months from now is relying on a lot of guesswork." --Keith Hennessey

A trusted advisor in the West Wing, Keith Hennessey served as director of the National Economic Council (NEC) and assistant to the president for economic policy. Advising President Bush on everything from trade and labor strikes to energy and climate change, Hennessey was at the center of some of the most consequential times in American history. A Leading Authorities exclusive speaker, Keith Hennessey's presentations are insightful and educational about the state of the global economic situation, giving audiences an informed and rounded view of the many issues facing the economy and the country.

Answers the Tough Economic Questions. In the White House, Hennessey analyzed economic issues and coordinated the design of the president's economic policies. Involved at every level of economic policy, he advised the president on the political, legal, and legislative questions that arose when making sound economic decisions and forming policies. Hennessey was also involved after decisions were made, serving as part of the core White House team that wrote speeches, communicated policies to the public, and worked with Congress to enact new laws.

In addition to serving in the White House as the president's assistant for economic policy, Hennessey also worked on Capitol Hill for more than seven years. Serving as economics advisor to former Senate Majority leader Trent Lott from 1997-2002, he knows the politics of the economy from both the legislative and the executive side. Before being named director of the NEC, he was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the NEC under three directors.

Substantive Breadth and Depth. In addition to advising the president on his administration's response to the financial crisis of 2008, Mr. Hennessey spent over six years helping design, enact, and implement the President's most important economic policies.  Among these endeavors were several laws cutting taxes, two energy laws and a new global climate change negotiating structure, reform of the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, health reforms, loans to auto manufacturers, Social Security and Medicare reform, terrorism reinsurance, the West Coast port strike, the do-not-call policy, and coordinating the response to an outbreak of mad cow disease.

More about Keith Hennessey. Hennessey holds a B.S. in mathematics and political science from Stanford University as well as a Master's of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where he wrote a public policy thesis titled, Unintended Consequences: Critical Assumptions in the Clinton Health Plan.