Prominent Kennedy School of Government (KSG) professor Robert Z. Lawrence has been nominated to the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) by President Clinton, and is currently awaiting confirmation by the Senate.

Lawrence, who is Williams Professor of International Trade and Investment at KSG, is currently on leave from the University and working in Washington, D.C.

In what he called "an amusing wrinkle," Lawrence's CEA predecessor, Jeffrey A. Frankel, resigned from the CEA in March--the month when Lawrence was nominated to the council--and has just accepted a professorship in international finance at the Kennedy School.

Frankel said that the coincidence extends even farther than the pair's trade of posts: Frankel now occupies the New Century chair at the Brookings Institution, a position Lawrence once held.

Frankel will take on his position as the Harpel Professor of Capital Formation and Growth in the fall.

Lawrence and Frankel both say they are excited for their new roles.

His experience in Washington has been a busy one, Lawrence said.

"I've been here for a couple months, and it's fun, but it's a little like being dropped into a whirlwind," he said, explaining that the White House process for confirmation is lengthy.

"The White House investigates you, the FBI investigates you, until they're finally happy," he said.