Lauren Larson

Lauren Larson is a federal and state fiscal policy expert, with executive experience in financial crisis management, performance- and evidence-based budgeting, and regulatory relief. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Natcast, the non-profit entity created to operate the National Semiconductor Technology Center, established by the CHIPS and Science Act passed in 2022. Previously, Larson was appointed by two governors to be executive director of the Colorado Office of State Planning and Budgeting, a cabinet-level position where she led the state’s fiscal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and developed the first state-driven economic stimulus package during a lull in federal aid. Larson was elected by her budget director peers in the 50 states to be president of the National Association of State Budget Officers. Larson also was a leader at the White House Office of Management and Budget, where she served as chief of the Treasury Branch under Presidents Bush and Obama and deployed the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to provide relief to banking, insurance, and mortgage industries. Earlier in her OMB career, she analyzed the systemic risk of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the economy, identified fraud in the $500 billion FHA mortgage insurance fund, and advised the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Larson was a corporate tax economist for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and also served as a senior advisor at the U.S. Treasury Internal Revenue Service, collaborating with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development.