Romer Leaving White House Economic Team

Top White House economic adviser Christina Romer will be leaving the administration early next month.

In a statement released Thursday night, President Obama praised the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers for her role in the White House’s efforts to stimulate the American economy.

“[Christina] Romer has provided extraordinary service to me and our country during a time of economic crisis and recovery,” Obama said. “The challenges we faced demanded more of Christy than any of her predecessors, and I greatly valued and appreciated her skill, commitment and wise counsel.”

Romer’s exit represents the second shake-up of the administration’s economic team, following Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag’s departure late last month.

Romer, whose last day is September 3rd, is slated to return to the University of California Berkley, where is she an economics professor. There has also been speculation that she will step in as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

While a replacement has not yet been named, Austan Goolsbee, the Council of Economic Advisers’ staff director, is considered an early contender for Romer’s position.