After 36 years of extraordinary service at the University of Michigan, Joel Slemrod retired in June 2025. Throughout his distinguished career, Joel has made profound contributions to the field of public finance and to the National Tax Association (NTA). His leadership roles include serving as President of NTA, Editor and Advisory Board Member of the National Tax Journal, and keynote speaker at the Annual Conference. He has authored 43 articles in the National Tax Journal and is a recipient of the Holland Medal, NTA’s highest honor.
Among Joel’s many contributions, he created the “short course” offered on Saturday afternoons at the Annual Conference, a popular session designed to share leading-edge research with broad relevance. He also secured honoraria for course lecturers through the University of Michigan’s Office of Tax Policy Research, which he founded.
To ensure the continuation of this important tradition, NTA has established the Slemrod Lecture Fund. The fund will support honoraria for presenters of the newly rebranded Slemrod Lecture, which builds on Joel’s vision of scholarly exchange and accessibility.
At the 2025 NTA Annual Conference, Stefanie Stantcheva, Harvard professor and recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal, delivered the inaugural Slemrod Lecture.
We are excited to announce that Nathaniel Hendren, Professor of Economics at MIT, founder and Co-Director of Policy Impacts and Founder and Co-Director of Opportunity Insights, will deliver this year’s Slemrod Lecture at NTA’s 119th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
By supporting the Slemrod Lecture Fund, you can help preserve an important part of Joel’s legacy and ensure that NTA continues to provide a platform for engaging, accessible, and thought-provoking public finance research.
Thank you for helping us honor Joel’s remarkable contributions and carry his vision forward for generations to come.
Donate to the Slemrod Fund Here
Slemrod Fund Supporters:
|
David R. Agrawal |
James R. Hines Laura Kalambokidis Laura Kawano Daphne Kenyon Sara LaLumia Benjamin Lockwood Tyler Menzer Peter Merrill David Merriman Bruce Meyer Lillian Mills Robert Moffitt Ben Niu |
Angie Pae |

