Ex Fed chief Bernanke headlines NACDS event

Former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo later this year.

The trade group said Bernanke would participate in the business program at its Total Store Expo on August 24 in Boston. Bernanke served as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 through 2014 and oversaw the central bank during one of the nation’s most tumultuous financial periods.

“When you think about who’s best to forecast the nation’s economic and business climate, Dr. Bernanke is hands-down the leading authority,” said NACDS president and CEO Steven C. Anderson. “During his time as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Dr. Bernanke’s financial expertise has led the nation through some of its most challenging financial times, and as our industry continues to evolve and change, we look forward to listening to and learning from his experiences.”

Before serving two terms as Fed chair, also served as chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and also held other roles within the Federal Reserve System. Prior to his government service, Bernanke was a professor and distinguished scholar for nearly two decades at Princeton and also taught economics at Stanford, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Born in Augusta, Ga., Bernanke grew up in Dillon, S.C. and went on to earn a B.A. in economics from Harvard University in 1975 and a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.