University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Dr. James Bullard, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, spoke to MBA students, business alumni, and other interested parties Thursday, Aug. 27, in an event cohosted by UALR College of Business and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Bullard’s 45-minute presentation — “Monetary Policy and the Economic Outlook” — was followed by a question-and-answer session and a reception. The event was held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development at UALR.

Bullard took office as president and CEO in April 2008 directing the activities of the bank’s head office in St. Louis as well as its three branches in Little Rock, Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. He also represents the Bank on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve’s chief monetary policymaking body. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, one of 12 regional reserve banks, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., constitute the Federal Reserve System. As the nation’s central bank, the Fed is responsible for conducting monetary policy, supervising banks, and operating the nation’s payment system.

After joining the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 1990, Bullard held several positions to include deputy director of research for monetary analysis. He holds a B.S. degree in quantitative methods and information systems and economics from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and a doctorate in economics from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

Bullard has written numerous papers published in professional journals and has been a peer reviewer for more than two dozen periodicals. He has participated in more than 150 conferences, symposia, or lectures sponsored by foreign central banks, academic institutions, and monetary policy groups around the world.