Jack Kleinhenz, Ph.D., CBE is the chief economist for the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. He joined NRF in June 2010.
As a professional economist working with Fortune 500 companies, banking firms, regulators, planners, universities, airports, manufacturers, chambers of commerce, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and state and local government agencies, Kleinhenz is known for translating economics into clear and concise explanations and action. He is a Certified Business Economist (CBE) in business economics and data analytics.
A frequent speaker on business and economic issues, Kleinhenz is regularly called upon for his expertise by the local, national and international media. These include CNBC, The Financial Times, Bloomberg News, Fox News, National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The Washington Post.
He is a past president of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), the largest international association of applied economists, strategists, academics and policymakers committed to the application of economics.
Formerly with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Kleinhenz is a contributing forecaster to Blue Chip Economics, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He also participates as a panelist for NABE’s Economic Outlook, Business Conditions and Policy surveys.
Kleinhenz serves as a former board director to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nation's leading nonprofit economics research organization. Appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Kleinhenz has served as a member of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Users Advisory Committee. He is a member of The Conference Board Consumer Dynamics Center Advisory Board, the University Hospitals of Cleveland Investment Management Committee and the Governor of Ohio’s Council of Economic Advisors.
He also serves as principal and chief economist of Kleinhenz & Associates, an economic, financial consulting and wealth management firm headquartered in Cleveland, as well as executive-in-residence at the Boler College of Business at John Carroll University and adjunct professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. A graduate of John Carroll University, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.