In October 2024, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and The Sadie Collective hosted the Fifth Annual Exploring Career Pathways in Economics and Related Fields Conference. This one-day, in-person event was designed for high school and college students—specifically Black women and others underrepresented in economics, finance, policy, or data science.

Attendees heard from leaders in economics and related fields about their work and their career journeys. They also had opportunities to get advice and hear perspectives on achieving their goals.

Attendees were able to:

• Have conversations with economists and research assistants
• Connect research questions to data
• Learn how to be a mentor or mentee

This full-day program featured a fireside chat to highlight personal perspectives on career pathways between Kristen Broady, senior economist from the Chicago Fed, and Natalie Madeira Cofield, president and COO of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity.

The program also featured a conversation between Anna Paulson, the Chicago Fed’s executive vice president and director of research, and Bola Olaniyan, the Sadie Collective’s executive director, about the partnership of the two organizations.