Christopher Phelan

Christopher James Phelan (born February 1963) is an American economist, academic, and U.S. government official whose research focuses on macroeconomic theory, monetary economics, limited government commitment, and reputation. He is a professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Minnesota, where he served as department chair from 2012 to 2021. Phelan serves as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) in the Executive Office of the President of the United States, succeeding Acting Chairman Pierre Yared. Prior to his nomination for the Council's chairmanship by President Donald Trump in April 2026, Phelan served at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in various capacities, including as a senior economist and most recently as a consultant to the Research Department. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and elected fellow of the Econometric Society and the Society of the Advancement of Economic Theory.