Washington, D.C. – April 8, 2024: The Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR) proudly announced that its Co-founder & CEO, Jo Ann Barefoot, is the recipient of the 2024 Senator William Proxmire Lifetime Achievement Award, bestowed by the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers. This award, given at the Business Law Spring Meeting of the American Bar Association in Orlando, FL, celebrates individuals who have made significant and enduring contributions to the consumer financial services industry over their careers. Barefoot is the first non-attorney to receive this prestigious award, highlighting her extraordinary impact on the financial sector, inspired by Senator Proxmire himself.
“To be recognized with the Senator William Proxmire Lifetime Achievement Award is truly humbling, and it serves as a profound reminder of the principles of fairness, inclusion, and resilience that have inspired my journey and the mission of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation,” says Jo Ann Barefoot, CEO & Co-founder of AIR. “This award mirrors our endeavors at AIR to utilize technology responsibly to help build a more equitable financial system.”
Jo Ann Barefoot’s career is marked by her dedication to revolutionizing the financial services sector through innovative regulatory approaches. Early in her career, she was appointed to the staff of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs by its Chairman, the legendary Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin. That work set the stage for her lifelong work. Barefoot’s background, spanning roles such as serving as the first woman Deputy Comptroller of the Currency and leadership positions at KPMG and Treliant Risk Advisors, underscores her broad influence across the financial services ecosystem. As CEO & Co-founder of AIR, she is at the forefront of advocating for regulatory technologies that promise to make financial systems more efficient, secure, and equitable. She is also a global podcast host, a Senior Fellow Emerita at Harvard University’s Kennedy School and a board member of various influential organizations in the financial sector.
Demonstrating her commitment to financial inclusion and empowerment, Jo Ann Barefoot has elected to donate her award proceeds to Women’s World Banking. This nonprofit organization aligns with her vision of enabling all women to secure a prosperous financial future, and especially of expanding economic opportunity and agency for low-income women through financial services, knowledge, and market access, worldwide. We invite all stakeholders in the financial, regulatory and technology sectors to join the mission to foster a more inclusive, fair and resilient financial system. Learn more about AIR and the impact of Jo Ann Barefoot’s work here and about the important work of Women’s World Banking here.
CEO and Co-founder
The Alliance for Innovative Regulation (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.
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