Skip top navigation
Photo of John C. Williams

John C. Williams

  • President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2018–
  • President, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2011–2018

John C. Williams took office as the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on June 18, 2018.

Mr. Williams holds a number of other leadership positions that help support his domestic and international engagement with global central bankers and other stakeholders, including roles at the Bank for International Settlements and the Economic Club of New York.

Throughout his career, Mr. Williams has been a strong advocate for policies to stimulate the economy, whether in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis or amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He has produced seminal research on critical monetary policy issues, such as the Zero Lower Bound and the neutral rate of interest. As president and CEO of the New York Fed, he continues his active research agenda on topics including monetary policy under uncertainty and imperfect conditions, as well as macroeconomics more broadly.

Mr. Williams has dedicated his career to public service. In June 2018, he became the 11th president and CEO of the New York Fed. From 2011 to mid-2018, Mr. Williams was the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Prior to that, he was the executive vice president and director of research for the San Francisco Fed, which he joined in 2002.

Mr. Williams began his career in 1994 as an economist at the Board of Governors. Additionally, he served as a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers and as a lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

He has a PhD in economics from Stanford University, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mr. Williams is originally from California.

Last updated March 1, 2024. See disclaimer and update policy.