Sandra Pianalto

Who is Sandra Pianalto?

Sandra Pianalto took office on February 1, 2003, as the tenth chief executive of the Fourth District Federal Reserve Bank, at Cleveland. On August 8, 2013, Ms. Pianalto announced she would retire as Cleveland's Fed President "early next year."

Pianalto was born in Valli del Pasubio, Italy. She 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 doctor of humane letters degrees from the University of Akron, Baldwin-Wallace College, Kent State University, and Ursuline College. Pianalto also received an honorary doctor of business administration degree from Cleveland State University.

Pianalto's tenure with the Bank spans more than twenty 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 Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and served on the staff of the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.