News Releases

May 24, 2024

Richmond Fed Names Anna Kovner as Director of Research

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond today announced Anna Kovner has been named the Richmond Fed’s new Director of Research. She will join the Richmond Fed as a member of its Management Committee effective mid-June.

Kovner is currently the Director of Financial Stability Policy Research in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Research and Statistics Group. In that role since 2018, she has led work assessing systemic risk and financial stability and applied that to Federal Open Market Committee briefings for the New York Fed. She has served in both leadership and contributor roles related to the Federal Reserve System’s integrated work on financial stability and monetary policy, including in the area of quantitative surveillance. Kovner also is a founding member of the New York Fed Research Groups’ diversity, equity and inclusion council.

“Anna is highly respected and brings a significant depth of experience and leadership, complemented by her strong mix of policy and research. She has demonstrated strong aptitude for tying academic research to practical applications, which is also critical to advancing Research’s work to understand our district economies through both research and on-the-ground engagement. I look forward to her working alongside our Research teams to further our impact in this space,” said Tom Barkin, president and chief executive officer of the Richmond Fed. “Our search committee found Anna to be visionary, approachable and collaborative, which will serve us well as the Bank furthers high priority objectives such as CORE Week, the Center for Advancing Women in Economics, and our work to uplift small towns and rural communities.”

“In my 16 years at the New York Fed, I’ve been fortunate to gain knowledge and experience at the nexus of financial stability and monetary policy, which I look forward to applying alongside colleagues in Richmond,” Kovner said. “I’m also especially pleased to help amplify the Richmond Fed’s contributions and voice regarding the vital role that small communities play in our regional and national economies.”

Kovner joined the New York Fed as an economist in 2008 and has served in leadership roles there since 2013. She earned her doctorate in business economics from Harvard University, her master’s of business administration degree from Harvard Business School and her bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton University. Her articles have been published in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics and the Review of Financial Studies, among other journals.

For more information on Kovner’s background, see her bio.

Photo of Anna Kovner (print quality)

As part of our nation’s central bank, the Richmond Fed is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks working together with the Board of Governors to support a healthy economy and deliver on our mission to foster economic stability and strength. We connect with community and business leaders across the Fifth Federal Reserve District — including the Carolinas, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and most of West Virginia — to monitor economic conditions, address issues facing our communities, and share this information with monetary and financial policymakers. We also work with banks to ensure they are operating safely and soundly, supply financial institutions with currency that’s fit for distribution, and provide a safe and efficient way to transfer funds through our nation’s payments system.

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