CHICAGO (July 25, 2024) –- Steve Edwards has been named executive vice president for external affairs and civic engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago effective August 13.
Edwards brings wide-ranging experience at mission-driven organizations to this newly created role. He will focus on the many ways the bank engages with the Chicago Fed’s Seventh District and the broader public. Edwards will lead civic engagement, community development, and public affairs for the Bank and serve as a member of its Executive Committee.
“Steve brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in media, communications, and strategy at mission-driven organizations. It’s fundamentally important for central banks to explain what we do, why we do it, and to partner with others to serve the public. Bringing Steve onboard represents the start of an exciting new chapter at the Chicago Fed, and we are lucky to have him join us,” said Austan Goolsbee, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Fed.
Edwards comes to the bank from Koya Partners, where he has been a managing director for their mission-driven executive search and Connected Leadership practices. Prior to that, he served as the chief content officer and interim chief executive of Chicago Public Media, which includes the city’s NPR station WBEZ, and as the executive director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.
Earlier in his career, Edwards was host of the award-winning daily radio programs The Afternoon Shift and Eight Forty-Eight on WBEZ. He also served as the station’s director of content development and acting program director. Edwards is a graduate of Amherst College and was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.
“Key to the work of the Chicago Fed is engaging with communities, businesses, and governments. Steve brings a stellar track record of leadership and collaboration,” said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of UL Solutions Inc., who serves as the chair of the board of directors of the Chicago Fed.
“Steve is well known by civic, business, and community leaders throughout the region. He brings a unique skillset and experience base to the Chicago Fed, combining professional excellence with genuine Midwest knowledge, vision, and values—a perfect fit for this District,” said Juan Salgado, chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago, who is deputy chair of the Chicago Fed’s board of directors and was part of the search process that selected Edwards.
About the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
At the Chicago Fed, we serve the public, fostering economic opportunity by advancing a healthy economy and promoting a trusted financial system. We contribute to the formulation and implementation of national monetary policy, supervise and regulate designated financial institutions, and provide financial services to depository institutions and the U.S. government. We serve the Seventh Federal Reserve District, which comprises Iowa and most of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. We are part of the Federal Reserve System, which is made up of 12 regional Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors in Washington, DC.
