Cecilia Elena Rouse, president of The Brookings Institution, will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Commencement ceremony for the USC Price School of Public Policy.
Rouse, a labor economist, made history as the first Black American to become Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), an agency within the Executive Office that provides objective economic advice to the U.S. president. Rouse served as CEA Chair under former President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2023 – her third White House tour of duty – before taking the helm at Brookings, one of the nation’s leading think tanks that has been at the forefront of public policy for more than a century.
“President Rouse’s leadership is an inspiring example of public service for our graduates, who are embarking on their own journeys to make change for the common good,” said Christopher Boone, Dean of the USC Price School. “She embodies our core values – especially the importance of using thoughtful, evidence-based research to shape public policy – and we are very excited to have her as our commencement speaker.”
Rouse will address about 5,000 USC Price School undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students and their families at The Shrine Auditorium on May 16, 2025. The event will also be live streamed.
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Find Out MoreAs the ninth president of Brookings, Rouse guides the impactful nonprofit in its mission to find bold, pragmatic policy solutions to societal challenges. Based in Washington, D.C., Brookings conducts in-depth, nonpartisan research on a range of issues including governance, economics, and foreign policy. Its experts deliver actionable policy insights to decision-makers across the public, private, and civic sectors worldwide.
Appointed by President Biden, Rouse was confirmed as CEA chair with 95 votes in the U.S. Senate. In that role, Rouse advised the president as the U.S. navigated the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. That was her second tour of duty at the agency, having served as a CEA member from 2009 to 2011. She was also previously special assistant to the president at the National Economic Council from 1998 to 1999.
“I am honored to deliver USC Price School’s commencement address this year,” said Rouse. “Now more than ever, the public sector needs experts who follow the evidence, embrace diverse perspectives, and approach problems with open-minded inquiry.”
Rouse, who earned both her doctoral degree in economics and her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, was dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs from 2012 to 2021. She is Princeton’s Katzman-Ernst Professor in Economics and Education and a professor of economics and public affairs.