December 5, 2011

John Lipsky, formerly of IMF, joins economics program at SAIS

John Lipsky, who recently retired from the International Monetary Fund, will join SAIS on Jan. 1 as a distinguished visiting scholar with the school’s International Economics Program.

Lipsky served for five years as the IMF’s first deputy managing director, the organization’s No. 2 leadership role. Most recently, he was a special adviser to managing director Christine Lagarde, helping to direct the fund’s preparations for last month’s G20 Leaders Summit in Cannes, France.

“John’s service at the IMF coincided with the most challenging era for the international economy in the past 70 years. During this historic time, he was a dedicated and effective advocate for international cooperation and coordination to heal and restore the global economy,” said SAIS Dean Jessica P. Einhorn in making the announcement. “Over the course of his distinguished career in both the private and public sectors, he has earned the respect and regard of many leaders around the world. His enthusiasm for joining SAIS as an active member of our community of scholars and students offers us opportunities for engagement through research [and] teaching, as well as outside speakers and programs of great interest,” she said.

Before rejoining the IMF in 2006, Lipsky spent more than 20 years in the private sector, including serving as JPMorgan’s chief economist and Chase Manhattan Bank’s chief economist and director of research. Earlier he had spent a decade at the IMF, where he helped manage the fund’s exchange rate surveillance procedure and analyzed developments in the international capital market.