FHFA Names New Dir. Of Congressional Affairs, Chief Economist

The Federal Housing Finance Administration named Laura Thrift as its director of the Office of Congressional Affairs and Communications. The FHFA also named Alexei Alexandrov as its chief economist. 

“Laura brings in-depth knowledge of the legislative process to FHFA. Her experience will help FHFA continue to be transparent about our policies and rationale with members of Congress, stakeholders, and the press. Alexei’s past research will add to the Agency’s understanding of both firm and consumer behavior, including in financial markets. The research he will lead, using the latest techniques in econometrics and machine learning, will help inform policy decisions that allow FHFA to maintain the safety and soundness of our regulated entities while promoting equitable access to safe, decent, and affordable housing opportunities throughout the nation,” said acting director Sandra L. Thompson. 

Thrift has more than 15 years of experience on Capitol Hill working for senior members of the House of Representatives. Before joining FHFA, Thrift served as the deputy chief of staff for Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03). She previously served as a senior policy advisor to Representative David Price (NC-04).

Alexandrov, a Ph.D. economist, managed data scientists, economists, and machine learning scientists in e-commerce, and worked in the federal government and academia. Prior to joining FHFA, Alexandrov was the director of Central Algorithms for Wayfair.com. He also worked as a senior manager at Amazon.com. Additionally, he served as a senior economist at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, working on mortgage regulations stemming from the Dodd-Frank Act. He started his professional career as an assistant professor at the University of Rochester.