Peter Passell and his family moved to Ojai’s East End in 1998. After earning a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, Peter taught economics at Columbia University for six years. He was then hired by The New York Times to write editorials on economics and later switched to writing the weekly “Economic Scene” column. Additionally, he served as economist at large, writing about everything from perestroika to the economics of Broadway. Since moving to Ojai, Peter has telecommuted as editor in chief of the Milken Institute Review, the economic policy magazine of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Milken Institute think tank, based in Santa Monica. Peter served on the SCMWC board as treasurer in the mid-2000s and rejoined the board in 2015. He brings a breadth of economic expertise to the company’s policy making.