Appointments include leaders from other government offices and experienced financial services industry manager.
1/31/2020 8:30
A former U.S. Department of Justice leader is part of a round of new executive appointments at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, drawing some concern from Congress late last year.
Thomas G. Ward will serve as assistant director of enforcement in the CFPB’s Supervision, Enforcement & Fair Lending Division.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., chair of the House Financial Services Committee, reportedly cautioned CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger against appointing Ward because the action would contribute to “politicizing” the bureau, Politico reports.
Waters wrote a letter to Kraninger outlining her concerns in December 2019.
Before joining the bureau, Ward served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a news release from the CFPB. Prior to this appointment, Ward was a litigation partner at Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, DC, where his practice focused on financial and securities litigation and investigations, and a corporate associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City.
A manager with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry is also among recent appointments to the CFPB’s executive team.
David Wernecke will serve as chief experience officer at the CFPB, where he has worked since 2013. Wernecke most recently worked as the section chief in the Consumer Response Product Office. He has more than 20 years of executive experience in the financial services industry and five years in management consulting supporting federal agencies.
Other leadership appointments include:
Susan M. Bernard will serve as assistant director for regulations in the Research, Markets and Regulation Division. Before joining the bureau, she served as the director of the Office of Regulations and Policy in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Donna Roy will serve as chief information officer in the bureau’s Operations Division. Roy has more than 18 years of federal service. Before joining the bureau, she served as executive director, Information Sharing and Services Office at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where she was focused on innovative solutions for identity management, national scale collaboration and trust platforms, and scalable data infrastructure solutions to customers within a dynamic environment.
Rachelle Vaughan will serve as chief procurement officer in the bureau’s operations division. Vaughan has more than 11 years of federal service. Before joining the bureau, she served as director of Procurement Services for the Corporation for National and Community Service where she was the executive procurement officer and oversaw the agency’s entire acquisition portfolio.