The Office of the Governor of the State of California

05/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/08/2026 17:25

Governor Gavin Newsom welcomes new members to the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today announced new leadership and members on the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors - a distinguished group of economic scholars and experts who advise the Governor and the Department of Finance on a wide range of economic issues facing the state.

With the help of this important group of advisors, the state will continue to navigate federal shifts, global disruptions, and emerging challenges with creativity, resilience, and confidence. Together, we're going to keep California moving forward and strengthening our position as the nation's leading economy.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The Council serves as a strategic advisory body to the Governor and the Department of Finance, bringing together leading experts in economics, public policy, and business to analyze economic trends and provide guidance on state and federal developments through roundtables on ongoing and emerging economic issues - such as the evolution of artificial intelligence and its implications for California's economy.

The announcement reflects new leadership under Chair Renee Bowen and Vice Chair Valentin Bolotnyy and a mix of returning and newly appointed members. The Council will continue to help guide California through a rapidly changing global economy, addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by shifting federal policies, evolving tariffs, and new dynamics in trade and technology.

Governor's Council of Economic Advisors leadership

The Council is chaired by Renee Bowen, Dean's Professor of International Business & Global Affairs at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and the Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Valentin Bolotnyy, Kleinheinz Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and Affiliated Scholar at the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, serves as Vice Chair.

Governor's Council of Economic Advisors Members

  • Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School and Faculty Director of the Institute for Business & Social Impact at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.
  • Christopher Costello, Professor of Natural Resource Economics at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara; Director of the Environmental Market Solutions Lab; and Chief Economist of the California chapter of the Environmental Defense Fund.
  • Mary Gray, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research; Fellow at the E.J. Safra Center for Ethics; and Faculty Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.
  • Manuel Pastor, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California; Director of the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity and the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration; and inaugural holder of the Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change.
  • Ina Simonovska, Professor of Economics, University of California, Davis.
  • Michael Stoll, Professor of Public Policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California, Los Angeles.
  • Steven Raphael, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, holding the James D. Marver Chair at the Goldman School of Public Policy.
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