January 29, 2007
HP-237

Secretary Paulson Holds Roundtable Discussion
on State of U.S. Economy

Secretary Henry M. Paulson will hold a roundtable with a group of economists today at the Treasury Department to discuss the state of the U.S. economy. Meeting participants will include:

Lewis Alexander was appointed chief economist of Citigroup and the head of the Economic and Market Analysis (EMA) department of Citigroup Global Markets in April 2005. Previously, he served as the global head for emerging markets within EMA. In that role, Alexander directed the work of economics teams covering Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia (excluding Japan).

Dick Berner is a managing director and the chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley. Berner is responsible for directing the firm's forecasting and analysis of the U.S. economy and financial markets. Before joining Morgan Stanley in 1999, Berner was executive vice president and chief economist at Mellon Bank Corporation and a member of Mellon Bank's Senior Management Committee.

Gail Fosler is executive vice president and chief economist of The Conference Board. Fosler directs The Conference Board's worldwide Economics Research Program. Her unit now produces leading economic indicators for the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Spain. Fosler also directs The Conference Board's global operations in key European and Pan-Asian markets, including China and the Middle East.

Jim Glassman is a managing director and senior economist with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. He works closely with the firm's chief investment officer, commercial banking, and government relations groups. He publishes independent research on the principal forces shaping the economy and financial markets. Glassman is a frequent commentator on economic policy issues.

Peter Hooper joined Deutsche Bank Securities in the fall of 1999, first as chief international economist. He shortly thereafter assumed responsibilities as chief U.S. economist and became chief economist in 2006. Hooper frequently comments on U.S. and global economic and financial developments in the news media.

James Meil is chief economist with Eaton Corporation, a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2006 sales of $12.4 billion. At Eaton Corporation, Meil is responsible for domestic and international forecasts of economic conditions. He is a contributor to the Blue Chip Economic Indicators, Consensus Economics, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal economic surveys and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's "Survey of Professional Forecasters."

Mark Zandi is chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com, Inc., where he directs the company's research and consulting activities. Moody's Economy.com is an independent subsidiary of the Moody's Corporation and provides economic research and consulting services to businesses, governments and other institutions.