Zients, Jeff, 1966-

Jeff Zients is Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy. Prior to his appointment, Zients twice served as the acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from January 2012 to April 2013, and from June to October 2010. In 2009, he was confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Director for OMB, and was appointed by President Obama to the newly created position of United States Chief Performance Officer. Zients also managed the 2013 Tech Surge of Healthcare.gov.

Prior to joining the Administration, Zients spent 20 years in the private sector as a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur. His expertise in business strategy, process reengineering and financial management extends across a range of industries and geographies. Zients served as CEO and Chairman of The Advisory Board Company and Chairman of the Corporate Executive Board, both leading providers of performance benchmarking and best practices across a wide range of industries, assisting senior executives at over 5,000 businesses to improve the efficiency of their operations. Zients began his career in management consulting where he focused on developing strategies and improving operations of Fortune 1000 companies.

Zients has previously served as a board member of institutions including Children’s National Medical Center, Sirius XM Radio, Revolution Health Group, and Timbuk2 Designs.

Zients is a co-founder of The Urban Alliance Foundation, a non-profit organization that partners with corporations to provide economically disadvantaged youth with year-round paid internships, adult mentors and job training. He graduated summa cum laude from Duke University.

Jeffrey D. "Jeff" Zients (born November 12, 1966) is an American chief executive officer, management consultant, and entrepreneur. Zients is currently the President of The Cranemere Group. From February 2014 to January 2017, he served as Director of the United States National Economic Council and President Obama's Economic Advisor. Zients previously served as the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Zients's assumption of the role of Director of the National Economic Council was delayed by his acceptance of an assignment from President Barack Obama to fix the problems of HealthCare.gov. According to Time's March 2014 cover story "Obama's Trauma Team", Zients is widely credited with salvaging HealthCare.gov. As a result, he was often referred to as "Mr. Fix-It" within the Obama Administration.