Atlanta Fed Launches Search Ahead of President Raphael Bostic’s Retirement

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has begun a search for a president and CEO to succeed Raphael W. Bostic, who announced in November that he will retire at the end of his current term.

The search committee will be chaired by Gregory Haile, chair of the Atlanta Fed board of directors, and will include the Atlanta Fed’s six Class B and C directors, according to a Monday (Dec. 15) press release.

The committee will retain an executive search firm to identify a large pool of candidates who have meaningful ties to the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia and sections of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, the release said.

The search committee will interview the top candidates, identify a finalist, and submit the finalist to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. The Atlanta Fed’s Class B and C directors will then formally appoint the president, subject to the Board of Governors’ approval, per the release.

Throughout the process, the Bank and the search committee will invite public input and share the progress of the search on a 2026 Atlanta Fed Presidential Search web page.

“The ideal candidate will have exhibited strategic and operational excellence, as well as a commitment to public service,” Haile said in the release. “We will undertake a broad search to find an experienced and strong leader — one who can reflect the unique economic perspectives of the dynamic Southeast economy and advance the vision and mission of the Federal Reserve System.”

If a president and CEO is not appointed by Feb. 28, 2026, which is the end of Bostic’s term, the bank’s first vice president and chief operating officer, Cheryl Venable, will assume the duties of president on an interim basis, according to the release.

Bostic has served as president and CEO of the Atlanta Fed since June 2017, according to the announcement of his plan to retire. He is responsible for overseeing the bank’s activities and serves on the Federal Open Market Committee.

“I’m proud of what we accomplished during my tenure to turn the lofty goal of an economy that works for everyone into more of a reality, and I look forward to discovering new ways to advance that bold vision in my next chapter,” Bostic said in a Nov. 12 press release.