Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Ben Bernanke

Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank Ben Bernanke The 56-year-old chairman of the Fed is TIME's 2009 Person of the Year Photographs by Dan Winters for TIME
Dan Winters for TIME

Open Door
Bernanke has made subtle changes in the Fed since taking over for his predecessor Alan Greenspan. He has pushed for more transparency and clarity. He has worked hard to explain his actions to the public, holding town hall meetings, writing op-eds and testifying frequently — a record 13 times this year along — before Congress.

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