Leadership Shifting at Bay Area Council Economic Institute

SAN FRANCISCO—The Bay Area Council Economic Institute says Micah Weinberg will become president of the organization February 1, succeeding long-time leader Sean Randolph as he assumes the new role of senior director. The transition comes as the Economic Institute is enjoying a period of robust growth, in both projects and visibility.

“The future of the Economic Institute couldn't be brighter,” said Laura D'Andrea Tyson, chair of the Economic Institute's board of trustees. “We are extremely fortunate to have a leader of Dr. Weinberg's caliber take the reins at the same time that Dr. Randolph continues to contribute his immense knowledge and talents to the organization. This change will bring new energy to the institute and deepen the expertise we already bring to exploring and understanding the Bay Area's unique and unparalleled innovation and economic ecosystem.”

Weinberg is a nationally recognized economic development and public policy expert who has most recently served as senior fellow at the Economic Institute and spearheaded the Bay Area Council's health care policy work. He has emerged as a leading national health policy analyst authoring several major reports through the Institute and appearing regularly as an expert voice in the state and national media.

“This is a tremendous honor and an exciting new challenge,” Weinberg said. “I look forward to working with Sean and the entire Economic Institute staff to take the organization to new heights. The Institute's work is crucial in providing a fact-based foundation for addressing our region's most pressing challenges and expanding our connections with the world.”

Prior to his work with the organization, Weinberg was focused on economic development.  He has published academically in this area and has worked on major economic development projects with the International Economic Development Council, the Development Fund of San Francisco and other groups.  This experience is practical as well as analytical as he was a part of the team that raised the nation's first new market venture capital company.  He has also written and published in the fields of political reform and policy leadership. He holds a doctoral degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with honors from Princeton University with a degree in politics.

“This change positions the Economic Institute perfectly to continue its trajectory of growth and influence,” said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council. “The Economic Institute is the Bay Area's premier research organization whose work is helping expand and deepen our understanding of the region's economy and shaping the policies needed for the Bay Area to grow and prosper.”

Randolph led the Bay Area Economic Forum before it merged with the Bay Area Council in 2008 to become the Economic Institute. He is known and respected internationally for his encyclopedic knowledge of the region's economy and its ties with economies around the world. Randolph has authored dozens of studies and reports examining the region's international trade connections and analyzing the drivers of the Bay Area's technology industry, among many other topics.

“It has been a terrific run, and I am gratified with the development the Institute has undergone since I first came to the role in 1999,” Randolph said. “After 15 years, I feel that this is a good time to turn the Institute and its management over to new leadership. I look forward to remaining an active and full time member of the Economic Institute's team and concentrating on areas of research and policy that I consider most important and where I can make the most contribution.”