Press Release - President Bush Today Named Stephen Friedman as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council

President George W. Bush today named Stephen Friedman as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council. Mr. Friedman has an extensive background in American enterprise, finance, and public service. He spent 28 years with Goldman Sachs & Company where he served as Co-chairman from 1990-1992, and Chairman and Senior Partner from 1992-1994. He is currently a Senior Principal at the investing firm Marsh & McLennan Capital. He has been serving on the boards of directors of Goldman Sachs, Fannie Mae and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Mr. Friedman's record of public service includes his membership on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. He served on the Presidential/Congressional Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community and was chosen to lead a task force on modernizing financial management at the Pentagon.

Throughout his career, he has also been a leader in charitable and academic organizations. Mr. Friedman is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Columbia University; Chairman of the Financial Committee of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Chairman Emeritus of the Executive Committee of the Brookings Institution; and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also been a board member of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University and received his law degree from Columbia Law School.