The New Obama Economy Team

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Timothy Geithner, Treasury Secretary John Gress/Reuters

Melody Barnes, Director, Domestic Policy Council Charles Dharapak/AP Photo

Lawrence Summers, Director, National Economic Council Charles Dharapak/AP Photo

Christina Romer, Director, Council of Economic Advisers John Gress/Reuters

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Against a backdrop of swooning stock markets and plunging home prices, President-elect Barack Obama on Nov. 24 announced key members of his economic team. Hailing from academia and government, several are battle-hardened, market-oriented veterans of international financial crises.

Timothy Geithner
Treasury Secretary
As chief of the New York Fed, Geithner, 47, has played a key role in the rescue of Wall Street. The Larry Summers protégé also has plenty of experience in dealing with emerging-market blowouts from his days at Treasury and the IMF.

Melody Barnes
Director, Domestic Policy Council
A lawyer by training, Barnes, 44, is vice-president for policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. She has counseled Senator Edward Kennedy and hosts a radio show called The Progressive Beat with Melody Barnes.

Lawrence Summers
Director, National Economic Council
ummers' storied career has included stints as Treasury Secretary under Clinton, chief economist at the World Bank, and president of Harvard University. A brilliant scholar, Summers, 54, also has a knack for stirring up controversy.

Christina Romer
Director, Council of Economic Advisers
The UC-Berkeley economics professor is an authority on the Great Depression and business cycles. Romer, 49, also sits on the National Bureau of Economic Research committee that officially calls the start and end of recessions.