My father was an academic and I grew up in places like Provo, Utah; Ames, Iowa; and Ithaca, New York. Our home was filled with books, music, and much fun as we did our regularly assigned tasks and played a variety of sports. I enjoyed growing up around universities. My father has always seemed young to me, I think because he spent time around young people and new ideas. From an early age I found myself attracted to an academic career.

After attending Brigham Young University as an undergraduate, I studied and taught at Oxford University, and then completed my graduate studies at Harvard. My interest was in government and economics and I determined that seeing how public policies are shaped first-hand could enhance my teaching and research.

The opportunity to work in the White House on economic policy issues led to a fascination both with the substance of economic policy and with the processes by which such policies are adopted and implemented. During the last quarter of a century our lives have alternated between Cambridge and Washington. I have spent over eleven years as an economic adviser in the Ford, Reagan, and Bush White Houses and the remainder of the time at Harvard where I teach courses on economic policy and on the American Presidency.

While a life of “thinking” and “doing” has brought experiences far beyond my initial expectations, the best for us is being blessed with four wonderful children. Robert, Stacy, and David graduated from Harvard College. Robert graduated last spring from Harvard Law School. Stacy is in the midst of her studies at Harvard Medical School. David is working at a law firm in Washington, D.C., and Rachel is a freshman at Brigham Young University.

Our first seven years at Dunster House have exceeded our high expectations and we are grateful for the warmth, encouragement, and sense of community we continue to experience from you. One of the great attractions of Harvard for a faculty member is the rich mix of undergraduate and graduate students. And the heart of interaction for these two remarkable sets of students is the House system. We look forward eagerly to seeing you around the House, in the dining hall, at Open Houses, at special dinners and outings, and at drama, music, athletic and other activities. We hope you will share with us your hopes, dreams, ideas, and concerns and that together we will make the coming year a truly memorable one