Washington, D.C. – June 7, 2023: The Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR) announced the hiring of Chris Calabia as Senior Advisor, Elise Donahue as Finance and Operations Manager, Danae Kelly as Executive Assistant, Nitya Malladi as Program Manager, and Mariama Jalloh and Mike Thompson as Program Directors. Four years after the fair finance nonprofit was launched, AIR’s mission-driven team now spans 10 time zones and three countries.
Chris Calabia has joined AIR as a Senior Advisor, spearheading thought leadership initiatives regarding the intersection of innovation, regulation and technology across the globe. Chris has three decades of experience in supervisory and regulatory policy, having served in senior leadership roles at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he was a Senior Vice President, and the Dubai Financial Services Authority, where he was Chief Executive. Currently with MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative, Chris was also at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
“Our continued workforce growth is so meaningful for AIR. As we advance fair finance through responsible technology, our expanded team adds new ideas and new capabilities to our important work,” says Jo Ann Barefoot, AIR CEO and Co-founder.
As AIR continues to expand, it has also added staff to support the execution of new programs. Key program activities include identifying tech tools to fight global financial corruption, equipping Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) with digital tools to improve financial services offerings for communities of color, and advancing digital solutions and policy guidance that protect digital financial consumers in emerging market countries.
As Program Director, Mariama Jalloh works with a diverse group of partner organizations and other stakeholders to develop, launch and facilitate TechSprints and other innovation-focused programs, such as MDI ConnectTech. A former Director in KPMG’s Advisory Group, Mariama provided expert advice to Fortune 500 companies on business integration and financial models. She is also the former chairperson of the National Association of Black Accountants Annual Gala Evening and currently serves on the board of Yehri Wi Cry.
Mike Thompson joined AIR as a Program Director with more than 11 years of prior regulatory compliance experience. Previously, he worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for over eight years, examining community and regional banks across the U.S. He also served as an instructor at the FDIC’s compliance examination schools, providing consumer compliance training internally and to regional industry groups.
As Program Manager, Nitya Malladi collaborates with a variety of global partners on TechSprints, consulting services for regulators and technology education initiatives. Nitya previously served as Chief Manager of Payments at Kotak Mahindra Bank in India and Assistant Vice President of Credit and Market Risk at HSBC Bank USA.
Elise Donahue joined AIR as its first Finance and Operations Manager. She supports and manages day-to-day financial and administrative activities, including organizational and project budgets, AIR’s operational policies, and internal controls. She worked most recently as the Business Operations Manager at Crowninshield Financial Research, and before that at Cabot Investment Technology, now a part of FactSet.
AIR also welcomes Danae Kelly as an Executive Assistant supporting executive leadership with scheduling, travel planning, logistics and administrative tasks. Danae comes to AIR with a diverse career background in account and operations management, logistics, event planning, and executive administration for both nonprofits and consulting firms.
“AIR continues to lead technology education for regulatory agencies and central banks, and run TechSprints on key topics like improving safe and affordable lending access and anti-money laundering,” says David Ehrich, AIR Executive Director and Co-founder. “The ongoing expansion of our team is testament to the demand and the funding available for our impactful work,” he continues.
Senior Advisor
Program Director
Program Director
Program Manager
Finance and Operations Manager
Executive Assistant
AIR is a nonprofit, non-membership organization working to make the financial system fully inclusive, fair and resilient through responsible use of new technology. By connecting regulation, finance, technology and society, AIR drives global innovation and collaboration to address rapid technology change.
NEWS • AIR Announces Key Additions to Leadership Team as Staff Grows for Third Straight Year
The appointment of Kisha Perkins as Chief Program Officer and Randy Repka as Chief Growth Officer corresponds with a doubling of nonprofit’s staff.
INITIATIVE • AIR Initiative to Create Digital Transformation Road Map for MDIs
The MDI ConnectTech initiative helps participating Minority Depository Institutions assess their technology capability, identify digital offerings to benefit their customers, and establish a road map to implement third-party digital solutions.
VIDEO • TechSprints Are a Collaborative Method Used in Solving Complex Problems
What are “techsprints?” Adapted from the hackathons invented by tech companies, TechSprints are events in which people with diverse knowledge from the public and private sector come together to ideate and co-create technology solutions for complex problems.
Stay informed by joining our mailing list
