Elissa Leonard
Elissa Leonard is the longtime wife of Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell –also known as Jay Powell.
Elise’s husband has served as Chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States since 2018 –after he was nominated by President Donald Trump. In addition, Powell also serves as Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee.
Jerome Powell was born in February 1953; the Washington, D.C. native received an AB in politics from Princeton University and earned a law degree from Georgetown University.
He worked as a lawyer and investment banker in New York City before joining the Bush administration as an assistant secretary and as undersecretary of the Treasury. He was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2012.
He’s been married to Elissa Leonard since 1985. His wife is a film director and executive and the mother of the couple’s three adult children.
She is known for the film “Sally Pacholok” which she co-wrote, based on the true story of an ER nurse who takes on the medical establishment when she uncovers an epidemic of misdiagnosis.
Elissa Ann Leonard was born on May 20, 1957, in Rockville, Maryland. She is the daughter of George Hill Leonard and Phyllis Leonard. According to her NY Times wedding announcement, Elissa’s father, a writer, retired as a heart disease control administrator for the Public Health Service in Washington.
Elissa graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1979, with a major in Visual and Environmental Studies and Government.
She began her career as a producer and writer for Innovation, a weekly Public Broadcasting System science series. In 1980 she served as the production assistant of The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.
Elissa is a member of the Board of Trustees of Levine Music and the Board of Directors of the Chevy Chase Historical Society. In addition, she is an executive producer on Bruce Beresford’s film “Ladies In Black”
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