Brookings Institution Appoints Elena S. Patel as Co-Director of Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Brookings Institution announced today that Elena Spatoulas Patel has been appointed co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, effective August 4. 

Patel brings significant research experience in tax policy and an understanding of how public policy can impact labor and capital markets. Most recently, she served as both a nonresident senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and as the Sorenson Assistant Professor in the Division of Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. Prior to joining the University of Utah, Patel gained deep public-sector expertise through positions at the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Analysis, and the U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, among other public offices. 

Announcing the appointment, Ben Harris, vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings, said, “Elena is the quintessential Brookings scholar, bringing a combination of impressive academic credentials and substantial public-sector experience. In a period of rapidly changing tax and budget policy, her leadership and insight will prove to be an invaluable asset for the Brookings Institution and Urban-Bookings Tax Policy Center.” 

As co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, Patel will lead a team of tax experts at Brookings and develop and implement strategies to help policymakers, the media, and the general public understand the implications of tax policy choices.  

“Elena possesses a combination of academic prowess, policy know-how, and fervent passion that will benefit the Tax Policy Center and the policy community more generally,” said William Gale, the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy at Brookings and a co-founder and, for the past 23 years, co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. “I am thrilled to be able to work with her on the important tax and fiscal issues facing the country.” 

“Elena brings a wealth of experience in research and policy, and a strong commitment to making the tax system work better for people. We’re thrilled to have her join us as Co-Director and can’t wait to work together on smarter, fairer, and more effective tax and budget solutions,” said Tracy Gordon, the Robert C. Pozen Director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and the vice president of Tax Policy at the Urban Institute. 

Patel holds a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Economics (with Honors) and Mathematics, with a minor in Modern Greek Studies from the University of Michigan. She also holds a Master of Arts in Economics and a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics, both from the University of Michigan. 

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