The Baker Institute for Public Policy welcomed the Honorable Jack Lew, former U.S. Treasury secretary and ambassador to Israel, for a Shell Distinguished Lecture on the future of America’s fiscal policy.
Drawing on decades of service at the highest levels of government — including his leadership as director of the Office of Management and Budget under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — Lew examined the U.S. budget, the national debt, and the pivotal role of OMB in shaping the nation’s fiscal future. His insights came at a critical moment, as debates over federal spending, deficits and economic priorities remain central to the nation’s outlook.
In conversation with Ambassador David Satterfield, Lew reflected on lessons from his career in public service, shared perspectives on fiscal and foreign policy, and discussed the challenges of American leadership in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
This event was free and open to the public.
Shell Distinguished Lecture Series
The Shell Distinguished Lecture Series is the Baker Institute's flagship speakers program, reflecting the vision of our honorary chair, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, and Shell's commitment to defining the role of statesmanship, integrity and bold leadership in meeting the challenges of the 21st century.
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Agenda
5:30 pm CDT — Reception
6:00 pm CDT — Armchair Discussion
6:30 pm CDT — Q&A Session
Participants
Moderator
The Honorable David M. Satterfield
Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy; Former ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey
Featured Speaker
Secretary Jack Lew is a professor of international and public affairs and faculty policy director of the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University. He returned to Columbia after serving as U.S. ambassador to Israel in the Biden Administration. Previously, he was the 76th secretary of the Treasury and White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama, and also served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources and twice as director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), including during the Clinton administration, when the U.S. budget ran a surplus for three consecutive years. Earlier in his career, he was special assistant to President Bill Clinton, where he helped design Americorps and worked on health care reform with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Lew also served as executive director of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee under House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. In the private sector, he held senior leadership roles at Citigroup, Lindsay Goldberg, and New York University, where he was responsible for budget, finance, and operations, and taught public administration. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Georgetown University Law Center, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations.