Gene Sperling

Gene Sperling
Born	(1958-12-24) December 24, 1958 Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Attorney, economic advisor
Known for	Director of the National Economic Council under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden

Eugene Benton Sperling (born December 24, 1958) is an American attorney who held the position of director at the National Economic Council and served as assistant to the president for economic policy under both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He remains unique as the sole individual to have acted as national economic advisor for two different administrations. Beyond his government roles, he established the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution in 2002.

In early 2021, during resistance to Neera Tanden's nomination for director of the Office of Management and Budget, Sperling emerged as a prominent candidate for that position. He later took on the role of Senior Advisor to President Biden and led implementation efforts for the American Rescue Plan. On August 5, 2024, it was announced by the White House that Sperling would depart from the administration to contribute to the Vice President’s electoral campaign.

Early life and education

Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sperling is the son of Doris Louise (née Hyman) and Lawrence Sperling, and is of Jewish heritage. He attended both Pioneer High School and Community High School, completing his studies at the latter institution. In 1982, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Minnesota, where he also captained the Men's Varsity Tennis Team. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School in 1985, during which time he served as senior editor for the Yale Law Journal. While studying at Yale, he worked alongside future Labor Secretary Robert Reich. Additionally, Sperling attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and provided advisory support for Michael Dukakis' presidential campaign.

Prior to his tenure at the National Economic Council, Sperling was deputy director of economic policy during the presidential transition and served as economic policy director for the Clinton-Gore campaign. Between 1990 and 1992, he acted as an economic advisor to New York Governor Mario Cuomo.

Clinton administration

During President Clinton’s administration, Sperling held the role of deputy director of the National Economic Council from 1993 to 1996 before advancing to director from 1996 until 2001. As deputy director, he contributed significantly to crafting and securing passage of major policies such as the 1993 Deficit Reduction Act, substantial expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and enactment of the Direct Student Loan Act.

In his capacity as director, Sperling played a key role in negotiating the bipartisan Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which established the Children's Health Insurance Program. He strategically postponed final negotiations to guarantee that the child tax credit primarily benefited lower-income families already receiving support through the Earned Income Tax Credit. His leadership extended to initiatives including the Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, New Markets Tax Credit, Gear-UP Early College Mentoring program, enhanced debt relief for impoverished nations, and international measures aimed at preventing exploitative child labor practices.

Sperling designed the Save Social Security First budget approach and jointly negotiated the China accession agreement to the World Trade Organization in 1999 alongside U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky. Collaborating with Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, he ensured that Community Reinvestment Act protections were incorporated into the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (also known as the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act), which helped facilitate its approval. Furthermore, he represented U.S. interests at the 2000 World Education Forum held in Dakar, where a global pledge was made toward achieving universal primary education.

Post-Clinton administration

Following his departure from the Clinton Administration, Sperling dedicated his efforts to promoting universal education, with a particular focus on girls' schooling in developing regions. In 2002, he launched the Center for Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution, where he served as the inaugural executive director until 2008. He was a strong advocate for a global education compact and contributed extensively to publications including Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, and the Financial Times. Sperling produced influential policy papers on funding education in fragile states and participated as a member of the U.N. Millennium Task Force on Girls' Education.

In 2003, he founded the Global Campaign for Education-US, uniting NGOs, teacher unions, faith-based organizations, and research institutions to promote universal quality education by fostering political commitment at both national and international levels. The following year, he co-wrote What Works in Girls' Education: Evidence and Policies from the Developing World alongside Barbara Herz. Sperling also held a senior fellowship at the Center for American Progress, where he authored The Pro-Growth Progressive: An Economic Strategy for Shared Prosperity. Additionally, he contributed as a consultant to four episodes of the television drama The West Wing. His 2020 publication, Economic Dignity, builds upon themes introduced in his 2019 article for Democracy Journal.

During Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid, Sperling acted as a principal economic advisor. Prior to joining the Obama administration, he received $887,727 from Goldman Sachs in 2008 for his role in developing their 10,000 Women initiative, which supports business education for women in emerging economies. That same year, he earned $158,000 primarily through speeches delivered to financial sector audiences and accumulated $2.2 million from consulting engagements, board memberships, speaking appearances, and fellowships.

Obama administration

Between 2009 and 2011, Sperling served as counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, providing guidance on responses to the financial crisis. He participated in the Obama Auto Rescue Task Force and coordinated Treasury’s efforts related to the Affordable Care Act. His policy advocacy included expanding refundable tax credits for working families, prolonging unemployment benefits, limiting executive pay at companies receiving government assistance, and proposing fees targeting large financial institutions. Sperling played a pivotal role in convincing President Obama to intervene to save Chrysler and was instrumental in crafting the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, which established a $30 billion loan fund alongside the State Small Business Credit Initiative.

In January 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Sperling director of the National Economic Council, marking his second tenure in that capacity. He was deeply involved in budget negotiations with Congress and led efforts focused on job creation, manufacturing strategies, housing reform, government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) restructuring, and workforce development. As principal architect of the $447 billion American Jobs Act, Sperling also headed the 2013 Detroit rescue task force that mobilized $300 million to aid the city’s recovery. Furthermore, he championed initiatives addressing long-term unemployment, Manufacturing Innovation Hubs, SelectUSA aimed at attracting foreign investment, the College Opportunity Summit, and the ConnectED education program. Robert Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities credited Sperling with significantly broadening tax credits that lifted approximately 10 million individuals out of poverty.

Recognized by Worth Magazine in 2013 as one of the world’s 100 Most Powerful People in Finance and by GQ in 2012 as one of Washington’s 50 Most Influential Figures, Sperling departed from the National Economic Council in March 2014.

Two years after leaving his White House position, a ProPublica investigation revealed that between 2011 and 2013 Sperling had received personal loans ranging from $300,000 to $600,000 from Howard Shapiro—a longtime friend and attorney at WilmerHale. Sperling explained these funds enabled him to continue public service without selling his residence valued near $2 million. These loans underwent review by White House Counsel and the Office of Government Ethics; no conflicts necessitating recusal were identified. Ethics authorities noted that full transparency alleviated potential concerns.

The report highlighted Sperling’s involvement in a federal-state settlement with five major banks over foreclosure misconduct; although WilmerHale was among firms engaged in negotiations, Shapiro himself was not directly involved. Sperling stated he contributed to decisions ensuring settlement monies would reduce principal balances for borrowers underwater on their mortgages. The Financial Times reported that Sperling enlisted organizations such as the NAACP to back borrower relief provisions included in the mortgage settlement.

Biden administration

On March 15, 2021, President Joe Biden designated Sperling to lead the implementation of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. He stepped down in August 2024 to take on the role of senior economic advisor for the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign.

Personal life

Sperling is married to Allison Abner, a television writer whom he met during his consulting work on NBC's The West Wing. Together, they have two children: a daughter named Nina and a son named Miles.

External links

• "The Pro-Growth Progressive" - Gene Sperling speaks at Google
• Obama appointee Sperling was key H-1B broker, Computerworld, January 11, 2011

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