Douglas J. Holtz-Eakin '80 is a widely respected economist whose distinguished career in public service reflects his long-standing and broad interest in public policy. Currently serving as Economic Policy Chair for Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, Dr. Holtz-Eakin previously held the position of Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and the Paul A. Volcker Chair in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations (2006).

From 2003 to 2005, Dr. Holtz-Eakin was the sixth Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), providing strategic guidance to research and policy analysis processes relative to Social Security, health finance, Medicare, taxation, banking, capital markets, housing, defense, forecasting, economic outlook and growth. In his role as Director, he served as the public face of the CBO, giving extensive Congressional testimony, press briefings and television appearances. He also provided direction and leadership to the organization's 230 professional analysts and support personnel and oversaw its annual budget of $35 million. Editorials in The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor praised both his skill and service. He was the Chief Economist for the President's Council of Economic Advisers for President George W. Bush from 2001-2003 and the Senior Staff Economist for the same group from 1989-1990 for President George H.W. Bush.

After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Mathematics from Denison University in 1980, he completed a Ph.D. at Princeton University in Economics in 1985. Following academic appointments at Princeton and Columbia Universities, he joined the faculty of Syracuse University where he was named Associate Professor of Economics in 1990, Professor in 1995, Associate Director of the Maxwell Center for Policy Research in 1996 and Trustee Professor of Economics from 2001-2005. In 2001, he was a Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Dr. Holtz-Eakin also has been a Faculty Research Fellow and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research since 1986.