Eric A. Van Nostrand — profile dossier

Pandemic-program role: Acting / "performing the duties of" Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy through the late recovery phase; he led the Treasury office responsible for Treasury's post-pandemic recovery analysis; no role in original PPP/EIDL lending (long since ended).
Institution · office: Treasury · Office of Economic Policy · Type: acting
Tenure (relief-relevant): Signing as Acting Assistant Secretary by May 1, 2023 (Treasury release jy1452); later designated "performing the duties of" (P.D.O.); still performing the duties on Oct 28, 2024 (jy2689); his Deputy Assistant Secretary service ended Jan. 17, 2025 (Treasury Office of Economic Policy page).

The job (role mechanics)

Level / appointment: Acting throughout; never Senate-confirmed to the Assistant Secretary post; Treasury's releases style him "Acting Assistant Secretary" (May 2023) and "performing duties of Assistant Secretary" / "(P.D.O)" (2024). His underlying post was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy (Financial Analysis), Aug. 15, 2022 – Jan. 17, 2025 (Treasury Office of Economic Policy page).
Reports to: Secretary of the Treasury (Janet Yellen).
Core responsibility: Lead Treasury's research and analytical work on economic developments (forecasting, the Economy Statement for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, and recovery/economic-impact analysis) and counsel the Secretary.
Pay: Not documented.
Expectations / mandate: Same office mandate as a confirmed Assistant Secretary, held on an acting/P.D.O. basis.
Tenure norm: Acting service is temporary and time-limited under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (see below). He performed the duties until the change of administration.

Who they are

Eric A. Van Nostrand is an economist who came to Treasury from asset management (BlackRock, per the Lazard release). He led the Office of Economic Policy on an acting basis for the final part of the Biden administration.

Education

J.D., Yale Law School (Lazard release).
Undergraduate degree, University of Pennsylvania (Lazard release).

Career before

Joined Treasury in 2022; the Office of Economic Policy page dates his Deputy Assistant Secretary (Financial Analysis) service from Aug. 15, 2022. The senior-adviser role on Russia/Ukraine issues and the Russian-oil price cap is from the Treasury biography.
Before Treasury: BlackRock, as Managing Director and Head of Research for Multi-Asset Strategies and Sustainable Investments (Lazard release).
Earlier White House Council of Economic Advisers staff work (Treasury biography).

Role in the pandemic relief programs

Nexus: By 2023–25 the pandemic relief programs were closed; Van Nostrand's connection is that he ran the Office of Economic Policy, which authored Treasury's later post-pandemic recovery / economic-impact analysis (e.g., the office's 2024–25 analyses of the post-pandemic recovery).
As acting head of the office he signed the recurring Economy Statement for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (as "Acting" on May 1, 2023, jy1452; as "performing duties of" on Oct 28, 2024, jy2689).
The Vacancies Act timing issue: GAO decision B-335739 (Feb. 8, 2024) on the Federal Vacancies Reform Act time limit on his "Acting" designation is cited, but we do not have a copy; Treasury's later releases use "performing the duties of."

Documents written or signed

Economy Statements for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (2023–25), e.g., as "Acting" (May 1, 2023): Economy Statements for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee 2023–25, e.g., as "Acting" May 1, 2023: ; and later... (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture) ; and later as P.D.O.: Economy Statements for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee 2023–25, e.g., as "Acting" May 1, 2023: ; and later... (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
Remarks on the economic impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (as Assistant Secretary P.D.O.): Remarks on the economic impact of the Inflation Reduction Act as Assistant Secretary P.D.O. (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
Subject of GAO Vacancies Act decision B-335739: B 335739 Df0e08b5c30dc35e (original: gao.gov · stored capture)

Career after / where they are now

June 2025: Appointed Global Head of Markets and Chief Economist at Lazard Asset Management.
January 6, 2026: Chief Investment Officer of Lazard Asset Management (Lazard release of that date).
Received the Alexander Hamilton Award for his Treasury service (Lazard release).
Note on the seat: the Treasury Office of Economic Policy page, as captured June 25, 2026, shows the Assistant Secretary post as vacant.

Sources held in this archive

Original source documents and archived captures

Sources (first-party)

Treasury bio: Treasury bio (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
Treasury Office of Economic Policy: Treasury Office of Economic Policy (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
GAO decision B-335739 (Vacancies Act violation, Feb 8, 2024): B 335739 Df0e08b5c30dc35e (original: gao.gov · stored capture)
TBAC Economy Statement as "Acting" (May 1, 2023), cited in GAO B-335739: Economy Statements for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee 2023–25, e.g., as "Acting" May 1, 2023: ; and later... (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
TBAC Economy Statement as P.D.O.: Economy Statements for the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee 2023–25, e.g., as "Acting" May 1, 2023: ; and later... (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
Remarks on IRA economic impact (Asst. Secretary P.D.O.): Remarks on the economic impact of the Inflation Reduction Act as Assistant Secretary P.D.O. (original: home.treasury.gov · stored capture)
Lazard Asset Management appointment (June 2025): Lazard Asset Management appointment June 2025 (original: lazardassetmanagement.com · stored capture)
Lazard, "Lazard Asset Management Appoints Eric Van Nostrand as Chief Investment Officer" (Jan. 6, 2026): https://www.lazard.com/news-announcements/lazard-asset-management-appoints-eric-van-nostrand-as-chief-investment-officer/ local copy