Biography

Marianne Wanamaker is the dean of the University of Tennessee’s Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs and a professor of economics and public policy. Dr. Wanamaker’s expertise is in labor economics, education, and workforce development. Her work has been widely referenced in the popular press, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post and supported by multiple federal agencies. She holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and her master’s degree and PhD from Northwestern University. She is a native of Martin, Tennessee and she has been at UT since 2009. From 2017 to 2018, she took a leave of absence from UT to serve as the senior labor economist and chief domestic economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisors.

Dr. Wanamaker serves on the boards of Zoo Knoxville, Three Roots Capital, Dallas TX labor market startup ThinkWhy, and Truist Bank’s local advisory board.

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Education

• B.A., Economics and Mathematics, Vanderbilt University
• M.A., Economics, Northwestern University
• Ph.D., Economics, Northwestern University