Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji, an Indian-American, will resume his position as a management professor at Duke University after resigning from his position as a White House coordinator at the National Economic Council (NEC).
In September of last year, President Joe Biden’s administration named Chaterji to the top position to oversee NEC’s implementation of the historic $50 billion investment in the semiconductor industry made possible by the CHIPS and Science Act.
“Looking forward to returning to @DukeFuqua after 2 great years in the Biden Administration. Thank you to all my colleagues @WhiteHouse & @CommerceGov. Excited to continue work on these important economic & national security issues,” Chatterji tweeted on Wednesday.
He had taken a leave of absence from the Fuqua School of Business while working at the White House.
In order to offer the nation a competitive edge on the global arena, the CHIPS and Science Act was passed last year with the goals of increasing semiconductor production, enhancing research and design leadership, and growing a diverse semiconductor workforce.
The Biden administration’s semiconductor strategy has reportedly changed from a frantic search for a temporary solution to the world’s chip shortage to placing long-term bets on US-based manufacturing facilities in an effort to depend less on suppliers in Taiwan, which has turned into a political liability amid escalating tensions with China, according to Politico. Chatterji’s departure coincides with this shift.
Since April 2021, Chatterji has held the position of Chief Economist for the Department of Commerce, where he has served as Gina Raimondo’s primary economic advisor.
He was in charge of creating policies for the US’s labour markets, supply chains, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic expansion in that capacity.
In a statement to Politico, Raimondo referred to Chatterji as “an incredible asset” to the government and said she “relied on his expertise and guidance to help make significant strides in bolstering America’s supply chains, strengthening national security, and creating good jobs across America.”
Additionally, Chatterji served as a senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House and a visiting associate professor at Harvard Business School while serving in the administration of former President Barack Obama.
Having worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs and as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Chatterji has won a number of honours.
In addition to the Aspen Institute’s Rising Star Award and the Emerging Scholar Award from the Strategic Management Society, he also won the 2017 Kauffman Prize Medal for Distinguished Research in Entrepreneurship.
He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and his B.A. in Economics from Cornell University.