J Steven Landefeld received a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland. He served as Chief of Staff for the President's Council of Economic Advisers. He also served in a number of other capacities at BEA, including Deputy Director and the Associate Director for International Economics. Landefeld became director of BEA in 1995. He co-authored the books,
A New Architecture for the U.S. National Accounts (2006), and
Biomedical Research: Costs and Benefits (1979).