Kathleen Utgoff

Kathleen Utgoff is an American economist. She was Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2002 to 2006.

Education

Utgoff holds a BA degree in economics from California [State University, Northridge], and a PhD in economics from UCLA.

Career

Utgoff began her career at the Center for Naval Analyses and served as a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers during the Reagan administration. President Reagan appointed her as executive director of the Pension [Benefit Guarantee Corporation] in 1985.
During her time as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS increased the number of data series published and expanded internet-based data collection. Utgoff is also credited with establishing an "unofficial motto" for BLS: "When asked whether the glass is half full or half empty, the bureau’s response is, It’s an eight-ounce glass with four ounces of liquid."

Selected works

Utgoff, Kathleen Classen. "Compensation levels and quit rates in the public sector." Journal of Human Resources : 394–406.
Utgoff, Kathleen P., and Zvi Bodie. "The PBGC: A costly lesson in the economics of federal insurance." In Government Risk-Bearing, pp. 145–166. Springer, Dordrecht, 1993.
Utgoff, Kathleen P. "Pension Reform Strengthens Defined-Benefit Plans." Compensation and Benefits Management 4 : 273–5.