On September 10, 2001, I was in between jobs, taking a month off after leaving CNBC to take on a new, bigger role and CNN and CNNfn. Being the nerdy Federal Reserve follower that I have always been, when I found out that two sitting Fed Bank presidents were speaking at the National Association of Business Economics’ annual meeting in New York being held at the Marriott Hotel World Trade Center, I could not resist. I had to go. I hopped on the subway on a beautiful “Autumn in New York” day, arriving in time to eat some breakfast, drink come coffee, hear the speakers and speak to the economists I knew who were attending, including Diane Swonk
Diane, who had already held top positions at First Chicago and BancOne, had just finished her term as president of the NABE(National Association of Business Economists) and was leading the team there making sure all the plans she had made were working, with everything running smoothly. I already knew her well as a smart, seasoned, well connected economist whom I could always count on to give me smart, leading and in-depth, savvy, detailed of analysis on the Fed, the economy, and the bond market.
I enjoyed day one of the NABE conference immensely , but by the second day, September 11, I figured that even I would not be so nerdy as to go back and spend a precious vacation day again. So I was at home when the headlines started crossing the newswires say that one and then a second plane had hit the World Trade Center towers. Insane. I was one of the lucky ones; I was not there when there when the planes hit.
Diane was. And the purpose of this interview is to let her tell you her story of 9/11. How she helped colleagues and young students run from the burning towers, instructing them to “head toward the lady!,” the Statue of Liberty. How the kindness of strangers helped her make her way midtown, all on foot, where she called me out of the blue and asked me if she could stay with me and my family— we said yes of course and welcomed her to the shelter of our apartment on the Upper Westside with bourbon, wine and steaks.
Listen as Dianne’s 9/11 story continued. She tells us how a person like her with no markers or history of any kind of cancer ended up battling cancer after being exposed to the massive dust clouds that covered lower Manhattan after the attacks. How she has weathered this, and more. It’s quite a story, a 9/11 story, and today I want to thank Diane for sharing it with all of us.
Diane Swonk started her career with money-center bank First Chicago and has won many awards in her career for her excellence in her profession and leadership in the broader business community. She climbed from entry-level to Director of Research and Chief Economist at Bank One, the merged bank. Before joining KPMG, Diane had her own economic consulting firm and worked at Grant Thornton. She spent the prior 10+ years as Senior Managing Director and Chief Economist at the financial services firm, Mesirow Financial.
She served as an advisor to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the National Economic Council (NEC) on a nonpartisan basis. She regularly briefs the regional Federal Reserve banks and the Board of Governors in Washington, DC. She has provided Congressional testimony on income inequality and how to preserve and bolster the quality of government statistics on the economy.
Remebering 9/11 with Diane Swonk: Escape from WTC, Resulting Cancer Battle