The International Monetary Fund has approved the appointment of Geoffrey Okamoto (’08 computer information systems) as first deputy managing director, the agency’s No. 2 official. The expedited appointment of Okamoto, who is a top international official in the U.S. Treasury, will increase cooperation between the IMF and U.S. government.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva originally proposed his appointment on March 12, 2020. “I look forward to our working closely together,” said Georgieva. “The IMF is putting all hands-on deck to help our membership address this crisis — and Geoffrey will play a key role in our efforts.”
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Okamoto said: “We’re going to do whatever it takes to get to the other side of this. When we’re dealing with a situation like we are now, the first order of business is to bring our 189 member countries to address not just the current moment of stabilizing the patient, but also setting the stage for the recovery… This is going to be a long-run effort to bring countries back to prosperity.”
Before joining the IMF, Okamoto served as U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Finance and Development, where he oversaw global financial markets; coordination with the G-7, G-20, and the Financial Stability Board; regional and bilateral economic issues; and international financial institutions. Previously, he served as the U.S. Treasury’s Acting Under Secretary for International Affairs.
Prior to joining the Treasury, he held prominent positions in the U.S. Senate, such as Majority Staff Director for the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection, and Policy Director for the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade.
Okamoto, who also completed the Interdisciplinary General Education program at Cal Poly Pomona, began his career as a consultant for KPMG in 2008 while earning a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University.