Michael Newsome serves as the Community Development Regional Manager for Workforce Pathways in North Carolina and South Carolina. In this role, he advances initiatives that support the Federal Reserve's mandate of maximum employment by fostering economic opportunity and mobility across the region. His work focuses on developing and implementing programs that increase public understanding of local labor markets, address barriers to workforce entry, and strengthen educational and career pathways.

Newsome works closely with regional business leaders, educational institutions, workforce development organizations, and government agencies to identify and promote sustainable solutions to workforce challenges affecting underserved populations. His human capital and workforce development outreach includes communicating the Bank's labor market and community college research and supporting regional strategic partnerships to strengthen economic resilience and expand opportunities for youth and young adults, rural communities, and low- and moderate-income households. As part of this work, Newsome supports Invest in What's Next, the Bank's signature workforce initiative.

Prior to joining the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in 2024, Newsome held senior faculty and administrative roles in education, including as a tenured full professor of economics, MBA program director, vice president of academics, and research center director. He holds a PhD and a master's degree in economics from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor's degree in economics from Marshall University.