Brendan Kelly has worked at the center of U.S.-China economic and financial relations for the past 15 years in Washington, Beijing and New York. He most recently served as Director for China Economics Issues on the National Security Council (NSC) staff at the White House from June 2023 to July 2024, where he was responsible for coordinating U.S. Government economic policy issues and engagement related to China.
From 2018-2023, Kelly served at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, including as Deputy Head of International Relations and Country Risk, after leading the bank’s analysis on Asia and engagement with Asian central banks, including extensive coverage of China’s financial markets and economy, and its impact on U.S markets.
Previously Kelly served in several China and Asia-focused roles at the U.S. Treasury Department, including helping coordinate all 8 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&EDs), as Treasury Attaché and Deputy Attaché in Beijing, 2014-2018, in the Office of International Banking and Securities Markets and Office of the U.S.-China S&ED.
Kelly also served as China Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as a legislative aide in the Office of Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist.
Currently, Kelly is a Non-Resident Fellow on Chinese Economy and Technology at the Asia Society, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and a Fellow in the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program. Brendan holds a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University and an M.A. in International Economics and China Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
