The former deputy director of the federal consumer financial protection agency, and the former chair of the federal regulatory agency for commodities markets, are both listed as leads for “agency review teams” that will aid in the transition of the federal government to new leadership, according to a list released Tuesday.
According to the list issued by the group working on the transition from President Donald J. Trump to that of President-Elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Deputy Director Leandra English will lead the “agency review team” looking at the CFPB. Gary Gensler, former chairman of the Commodity Future Trading Commission (CFTC), will lead a team looking at the two of the three federal banking agencies (the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)) and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).
The third banking regulator, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is not listed in the team’s list of agencies to review. However, a separate team will be looking at the Treasury Department (which counts the OCC as one of its agencies); it will be led by Don Graves, whose most recent employer is KeyBank.
According to the description of the review teams provided by the transition office of Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, “agency review teams” are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power, and preparing Biden, Harris and their cabinet “to hit the ground running on Day One.”
The teams, the transition group said, are composed of “highly experienced and talented professionals with deep backgrounds in crucial policy areas across the federal government.” The teams have been crafted to ensure they not only reflect the values and priorities of the incoming administration, the group said, “but reflect the diversity of perspectives crucial for addressing America’s most urgent and complex challenges.”
English was involved in some controversy at the agency three years ago when she was tapped by outgoing CFPB Director Richard Cordray to be his successor in the position as deputy director. She had formally been chief of staff at CFPB.
However, on the same day Cordray named her deputy director (to take over immediately after Cordray left the position), President Donald Trump designated his director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mick Mulvaney, as acting CFPB director.
That led to a period of confusion and, later, a court fight over who was actually the director of the agency. A judge ruled shortly after Mulvaney’s appointment that he would remain in the position as acting director. English challenged that ruling in court, but in July 2018 dropped her lawsuit following Trump’s nomination of a permanent director to replace Mulvaney.
CFPB review team members (member, most recent employer)
| Leandra English, Team Lead | State of New York, Department of Financial Services |
| Manny Alvarez | California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation |
| Bill Bynum | Hope Enterprise Corporation |
| David Mayorga | Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia |
| Josh Nassar | The United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers |
| Brian Shearer | Justice Catalyst Law, Inc. |
| Diane Thompson | Self-employed |
| Ashwin Vasan | Sophant Consulting |
Federal Reserve, Banking and Securities Regulators review team members (covering the Fed, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration, as well as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission)(member, most recent employer)
| Gary Gensler, Team Lead | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Reena Aggarwal | Georgetown University |
| Mehrsa Baradaran | University of California, Irvine School of Law |
| Lisa Cook | Michigan State University |
| Amanda Fischer | Washington Center for Equitable Growth |
| Andy Green | Center for American Progress |
| Campbell Haynes | Virginia Coordinated Campaign |
| Simon Johnson | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Dennis Kelleher | Better Markets, Inc. |
| Satyam Khanna | New York University, School of Law, Institute for Corporate Governance and Finance |
| Renaye Manley | Service Employees International Union |
| Lev Menand | Columbia University |
| Damon Silvers | AFL-CIO |
| Victoria Suarez-Palomo | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP |
Treasury Department review team members (member, most recent employer)
| Don Graves, Team Lead | KeyBank |
| Mehrsa Baradaran | University of California, Irvine School of Law |
| Michael Barr | University of Michigan, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy |
| Lily Batchelder | New York University, School of Law |
| John Bentivoglio | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP |
| Chris Brummer | Georgetown University |
| Liyan David Chang | Devoted Health |
| Heidi Crebo-Rediker | International Capital Strategies, LLC |
| Will Fields | Sidewalk Labs |
| Suzanna Fritzberg | Birmingham Strong |
| Andy Green | Center for American Progress |
| David Hinson | Ategra Capital Management |
| Nicole Isaac | LinkedIn Corporation |
| Simon Johnson | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Helen Kanovsky | Mortgage Bankers Association |
| Marisa Lago | New York City, Department of City Planning |
| Nancy Lee | Center for Global Development |
| Sarah Miller | American Economic Liberties Project |
| Sophie Raseman | Brightside Benefit, Inc. |
| Rosie Rios | Self-employed |
| Buzz Roberts | National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders |
| Elizabeth Rosenberg | Center for a New American Security |
| Javier Saade | Impact Master Holdings |
| Damon Silvers | AFL-CIO |
| Betsey Stevenson | University of Michigan |
| Jay Williams | Hartford Foundation for Public Giving |
| Charles Yi | Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, LLP |