Lisa Cook, the first Black woman on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, opened the Sadie Collective annual conference on Feb. 16. Black female scholars and economists shared their thoughts and research at the research reception, the kickoff event in a 3-day program. The Sadie Collective was established in 2018, and this is its fifth annual conference.

“Solutions are more likely to come if people from different backgrounds enter the field and if each wave of economists reflects the make-up of the country,” Cook said in her speech.