Jack Lew

Jack Lew is an American attorney and public servant who has held several high‑level positions in federal government, most notably as the 76th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that appointment he served as director of the Office of Management and Budget under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and as White House chief of staff during the final year of the Obama administration. After leaving public office in 2017, Lew entered private practice as a managing partner at a New York‑based private equity firm and has also taken on academic roles, including a visiting professorship at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Early life and career

Jack Joseph Lew was born on August 29, 1955, in New York City to Ruth (née Turoff) and Irving Lew. His family background is Jewish; his father immigrated from Poland as a child and later became a lawyer and rare‑book dealer. Lew attended public schools in the city and graduated from Forest Hills High School. He spent one year at Carleton College in Minnesota before transferring to Harvard University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in 1978. He then pursued legal studies at Georgetown University Law Center, completing his Juris Doctor in 1983.

Lew’s early professional experience included legislative work. From 1974 to 1975 he served as an aide to Representative Joe Moakley of Massachusetts. In 1979 he became a senior policy adviser to House Speaker Tip O’Neill and subsequently held positions within the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, first as assistant director and later as executive director. His responsibilities encompassed domestic and economic issues such as Social Security, Medicare, budgetary matters, tax policy, trade, appropriations, and energy.

After law school, Lew practiced privately for five years as a partner at Van Ness Feldman & Curtis, focusing primarily on electric power generation. He also held leadership roles in the nonprofit sector, serving as executive director of the Center for Middle East Research, issues director for the Democratic National Committee’s 1988 campaign, and deputy director of Boston’s Office of Management and Budget.

Cabinet tenure

Lew entered federal service during the Clinton administration. From February 1993 to October 1994 he was a special assistant to President Bill Clinton, where he helped develop policy initiatives including AmeriCorps and health care reform legislation. Afterward he moved to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), first as executive associate director and then as associate director for legislative affairs. In August 1995 Lew became deputy director of OMB, acting as chief operating officer for a staff of 500 and coordinating cross‑cutting budgetary and appropriations efforts. He participated in negotiations that led to the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

On July 31, 1998 President Clinton nominated Lew as director of OMB; his nomination was confirmed by the Senate later that month. As OMB director until January 2001, he had overarching responsibility for budget, management, and appropriations policies, advised the president on a broad range of domestic and international matters, represented the administration in budget negotiations with Congress, and served as a member of the National Security Council.

After leaving public office at the end of the Clinton administration, Lew worked in academia and the private sector. He was executive vice president for operations at New York University and taught public administration at the university’s Wagner School. During this period he also served on the board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service under President George W. Bush from 2004 to 2008, and held a senior position in Citigroup’s Alternative Investments unit beginning in June 2006.

Lew returned to government service at the start of the Obama administration. From 2009 to 2010 he was deputy secretary of state for management and resources, overseeing the State Department’s administrative functions. He then resumed his role as director of OMB from 2010 until early 2012. In February 2012 President Barack Obama appointed Lew as White House chief of staff, a position he held through the remainder of the president’s second term.

On January 10, 2013 Lew was nominated by President Obama to replace Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The Senate confirmed his nomination on February 27, 2013, and he was sworn in the following day. As Secretary of the Treasury, Lew served until the conclusion of the Obama administration in January 2017. During this period he oversaw the federal government’s fiscal policy, financial regulation, and economic strategy, working closely with Congress and international partners to manage the nation’s finances.

After leaving the Treasury Department, Lew entered private practice as a managing partner at Lindsay Goldberg, a New York‑based private equity firm. He has also taken on academic responsibilities, serving as a visiting professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Legacy

Jack Lew’s career reflects extensive experience in both legislative policy development and executive management within the federal government. His tenure at the Office of Management and Budget spanned two administrations, during which he played key roles in shaping budgetary policy and negotiating with Congress on major fiscal legislation. As Treasury Secretary, he guided the department through a period that included post‑financial‑crisis recovery efforts and continued economic stabilization measures.

Lew’s subsequent work in private equity and academia has allowed him to apply his public sector expertise to the private market and to educate future leaders in international affairs and public policy. His appointment as United States ambassador to Israel from 2023 to 2025 further extended his service to the federal government, focusing on diplomatic relations with a key Middle Eastern partner.

Throughout his career, Lew has maintained a reputation for disciplined management of complex organizations and for navigating the intersection of domestic budgetary concerns with broader economic and foreign policy objectives. His contributions to federal fiscal governance, coupled with his post‑government roles in finance and education, constitute a significant legacy within American public service.