James Bullard took office as president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on April 1, 2008. He directs the activities of the Bank's head office in St. Louis as well as its three branches in Little Rock, Ark., Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. In addition, he 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 is one of 12 regional Reserve banks that, along with the Board of Governors, 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.

Dr. Bullard joined the Research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis as an economist in 1990 and held increasingly responsible positions in the division. Prior to being appointed president, he was deputy director of research for monetary analysis.

A native of Forest Lake, Minn., Dr. Bullard holds a Bachelor of Science 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.

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

Dr. Bullard enjoys bicycling and tennis. He is married to Jane Callahan; they have two daughters.