Gbenga Ajilore is the Center’s Chief Economist. He most recently served as a senior advisor in the Office of the Undersecretary for Rural Development at the United States Department of Agriculture. Previously, he was a senior economist at the Center for American Progress and a tenured associate professor of economics at the University of Toledo. His expertise includes regional economic development, macroeconomic policy, and issues in diversity and inclusion. He has been invited to testify before Congress and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He holds a Ph.D in economics from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.