Diane Swonk

Diane C. Swonk (born 1962) is an American Economic Advisor and Chief Economist at Grant Thornton LLP.

Early life and education

Swonk was born in Kalamazoo Michigan. She studied economics at the University of Michigan, where she obtained a Bachelors and later a master's degree in the subject. She also holds an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago. She is dyslexic, and has spoken publicly on how she considers this to have affected her work.

Career

Swonk started her career at the age of 22 when she joined First Chicago Corporation in 1985 as an associate economist. The bank later merged with Banc One Corporation to become Bank One. Swonk rose to become Director of Economics and Senior Vice President, leaving the firm in 2004.

In November 2004, Swonk was appointed Chief Economist and Senior Managing Director at Mesirow Financial. She spent 11 years at the firm, before leaving in 2016 to found her private consulting firm, DS Economics, where she serves as CEO.

Swonk was appointed Chief Economist of Grant Thornton, LLP in January 2018.

Swonk is also known for her work as advisor to the Federal Reserve, as well as to the Congressional Budget Office and the Council of Economic Advisers. She is a Fellow of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), serving as its President from 1999-2000. Swonk is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Publications

• Swonk, Diane (2003-01-23). The Passionate Economist: Finding the Power and Humanity Behind the Numbers. Wiley. ISBN 9780471269960.