Sonya Ravindranath Waddell is a vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Waddell joined the Research Department in January 2008. She oversees the regional and community development research area within the department. Her responsibilities include running surveys of businesses and other organizations, directing and engaging in analysis on economic and community development issues, analyzing and providing information on regional and national economic trends, and directing the incorporation of regional information into the Richmond Fed's monetary policymaking process.

Prior to joining the Richmond Fed, Waddell worked as an economist in the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget and at ICF International in Washington, D.C. She earned her bachelor's degree from Williams College in 2001 and her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006. She currently serves on the boards of the Virginia Association of Economists, the YWCA of Richmond, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and the Virginia Opera. She is also a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists for the Commonwealth of Virginia and has served on the board of the Richmond Association of Business Economics.