Hon. Joshua Gotbaum

Joshua Gotbaum is a Guest Scholar in the Economic Studies Program and is affiliated with Brookings Retirement Security Project.  He is the chair of the Maryland Small Business Retirement Security Board and from 2010-14 directed the U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.  During the Clinton Administration, he was Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Economic Policy & also held presidential appointments in OMB and DOD.  During the Carter administration, he worked on White House energy and economic policy staffs.

Mr. Gotbaum also has extensive experience in business and non-profits. He was the first CEO of The September 11th Fund, a $500+ million charity that assisted families, institutions, and communities. From 1981-94, he was an investment banker with Lazard, providing advice on finance, mergers, and restructuring in North America and Europe.  From 2003-05, he ran and successfully brought Hawaiian Airlines out of bankruptcy as its Chapter 11 Trustee.  He has been a partner in a private equity investment firm and a consultant to other investment firms.  He is currently a consultant to United World Infrastructure, an economic development firm.  He served as a corporate director for TD Bank, Safety-Kleen, Inc., and PulteGroup.

His work includes writing on retirement policies, federal budget policy and process and public finance.  He has appeared on CNN, Fox, Bloomberg, and MSNBC and in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and other publications. He has testified before both houses of Congress on matters ranging from retirement plans to defense housing.

Mr. Gotbaum is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a fellow of the National Academy of Social Insurance.  He has a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School, a JD from Harvard Law School, and an AB in Sociology from Stanford.