Few people in Washington understand federal financial industry rules like I do. That’s because I’ve worked to write, explain and implement them over three decades. As a policy entrepreneur, political strategist and communications pro, I’ve frequently identified emerging issues, bridged partisan divides, shaped public opinion and advised lawmakers and Senate-confirmed officials on laws and regulations before becoming a presidential appointee myself.Currently, I head the National Credit Union Administration, an agency that protects consumer rights, insures the deposits of 141 million Americans and maintains the safety and soundness of the $2.3 trillion credit union system. I also vote on the Financial Stability Oversight Council chaired by the Treasury Secretary and the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, which I chaired from 2021 to 2023.In crafting major financial services laws like the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, I acquired broad knowledge of financial market regulation. In doing so, I led congressional staff efforts to rein in too-big to-fail institutions, improve the SEC’s investor protection rules and launch the Federal Insurance Office. I also worked to curtail predatory home loans, improve mortgage servicing and better appraisal oversight.Most notable is my extensive work on credit union policy issues. I cut my teeth on the landmark Credit Union Membership Access Act and ran point in drafting the Credit Union Regulatory Improvements Act, a bipartisan bill to enhance capital standards, advance economic growth and provide targeted regulatory relief. I also led U.S. House staff efforts to enact a law to lower the costs of managing both the Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund and the NCUA’s Share Insurance Fund.The U.S. Senate first confirmed me as an NCUA Board Member for a partial term on Mar. 14, 2019. President Biden then designated me as NCUA Chairman on Jan. 20, 2021, and later nominated me for a full term. The Senate confirmed me a second time on Jun. 8, 2022. What’s more, I’m the first staffer in the NCUA’s history to become a Board Member and the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to lead a federal financial regulatory agency. Credit unions also run in the fabric of my family. My grandpa chaired a soap factory credit union in the 1930s, and my dad started a teachers credit union in the 1960s.SOCIAL MEDIA DISCLAIMER: Postings on LinkedIn are my own and do not necessarily represent the views, rules or policies of the NCUA.