Keynote Speaker - Sandra Pianalto

We are pleased to welcome Sandra Pianalto, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, as our 2009 INVESTKentucky keynote speaker.

Our keynote speakers address economic and financial issues affecting Kentucky and the region.

As president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Sandra Pianalto has both national and local leadership responsibilities. She participates in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy, and she oversees 1,600 employees in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh who conduct economic research, supervise financial institutions, and provide payment services to commercial banks and the U.S. government.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland serves the Fourth Federal Reserve District, which comprises Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. The District covers 56 counties in Kentucky, including the Lexington and Northern Kentucky metropolitan areas.

Ms. Pianalto’s tenure with the Bank spans 25 years. She joined the Bank in 1983 as an economist in the Research Department. She was appointed assistant vice president of public affairs in 1984, vice president and secretary to the board of directors in 1988, and first vice president and chief operating officer in 1993. She assumed her position as president in 2003.

Before joining the Bank, Ms. Pianalto was an economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and served on the staff of the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ms. Pianalto is active in the Fourth District’s civic community. She is chairman of the board of United Way of Greater Cleveland and serves on the boards of a number of other community organizations, including The Cleveland Foundation, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, University Hospitals, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education, and the Ohio Business Alliance for Higher Education and the Economy.

Ms. Pianalto earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from The University of Akron and a master’s degree in economics from The George Washington University. She is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and holds honorary degrees from The University of Akron, Baldwin-Wallace College, Kent State University, Ursuline College, Notre Dame College, Cleveland State University, and John Carroll University.

Previous INVESTKentucky keynote speakers have included financial columnist Michael Santoli from Barron’s and SEC enforcement chief Linda Chatman Thomson.