Lydia Mashburn was the managing director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. She developed and managed the team, research portfolio, and strategic initiatives in the areas of monetary policy, banking regulation, securities regulation, consumer finance, fintech, and cryptocurrencies. Prior to joining the Center at its launch in October 2014, Mashburn was program manager of the Financial Markets Working Group, the monetary policy portfolio, and the health care program at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Before entering the nonprofit sector, she served as policy director of the House Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology under the chairmanship of Congressman Ron Paul. She began her career in public policy as a researcher with the Joint Economic Committee, dealing extensively with the Dodd‐Frank Act and the Affordable Care Act, among others. Mashburn currently serves on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee.
Mashburn received her BA in economics and a minor in international relations from the College of William and Mary.