Photos: Seat of financial power: Federal Reserve chairs through the years
Janet L. Yellen takes over Feb. 1 as the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve as it tries to pull back a key stimulus program without derailing the recovery. Yellen, 67, a former UC Berkeley economist, has been the Fed’s vice chair since 2010, serving as a close ally of outgoing chair Ben S. Bernanke in the central bank’s unprecedented efforts to boost the economy after the Great Recession.
Since its founding in 1913, the Federal Reserve has become the most powerful central bank in the world. And the person who chairs its board is one of the most influential figures in global finance.
