Thursday, Apr. 01, 2010

Paul Volcker

Age: 82
Occupation: Economist and former chairman of the Federal Reserve
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 0

Volcker had long been working behind the scenes to overhaul financial regulation when President Obama pushed him into the spotlight in January by unveiling the "Volcker rule." The loosely defined directive — meant to limit risk-taking at big banks — became a lightning rod for the financial-reform discussion, which Congress is now acting on.