Storesletten named Heller-Hurwicz director

Kjetil Storesletten has been named director of the Heller Hurwicz Economics Institute, effective July 1. Storeletten will take over the position from Ellen McGrattan, who has served in the role since 2016.

Storesletten, the Richard and Beverly Fink Professor in Economics, joined the University of Minnesota faculty in 2021 from the University of Oslo. He brims with excitement when he talks about the potential he sees for the Institute. “Heller-Hurwicz is special,” he says. “We’re far from the institutes, the think tanks, and the universities near Washington, D.C., and that’s a huge advantage. That’s because what you need in research is not mainstream thinking — you need independent thinking.”

Storesletten also brings significant policy experience, including years on Norway’s Executive Monetary Policy Committee, the equivalent of the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee. He understands how to translate ideas into policy, and how the right economic policies can transform the world for the better — and he’ll infuse this type of thinking into everything he does for the Institute.

The Heller Hurwicz Economics Institute was launched in 2010 under the leadership of founding director V.V. Chari. When Ellen McGrattan took over as director, she continued to build the foundation for success and navigated ways to continue mission-focused work during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Ellen has been a strong leader for the Institute, and I am honored to follow in her footsteps and those of V.V. Chari,” says Storesletten. “Together with our advisory board, supporters, alumni, and my fellow faculty members, we will advance our shared mission to build a bridge between world-class economics and policymakers to address today’s most pressing challenges.”