Cathy E. Minehan (born February 15, 1947) was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 1994 until her retirement in July 2007.

[1][2][3][4] Minehan also served as a member of the Federal Open Market Committee,[5] the body responsible for U.S. monetary policy.

[5] According to Samuel O. Thier, MD, a director on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's board, its former chairman, and Professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School[8] Cathy led the Bank during a challenging period characterized by dramatic changes in world events, the economy and technology.Minehan was considered by economists to be a more of a monetary dove than a hawk[9] in her economic philosophy.

She was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1987 and remained in that position until 1991 when she joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

[10] Minehan was elected to the board of directors of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE:BDX) effective 19 November 2007.

The couple consulted the general counsel for the Federal Reserve Bank, J. Virgil Mattingly and lawyers at Goldman Sachs when their relationship became serious.

[11] In 2011 Minehan, Henri Termeer and Chad Gifford— fellow Partners HealthCare Board Members— co-chaired the Massachusetts General Hospital bicentennial.