Jo Ann Barefoot is CEO & Co-founder of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR), host of the global podcast show Barefoot Innovation, and Senior Fellow Emerita at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Business & Government. She has been Deputy Comptroller of the Currency, partner at KPMG, Co-Chairman of Treliant Risk Advisors, and a staff member at the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. She serves on the boards of Oportun and FinRegLab, and on advisory bodies for FINRA, the Milken Institute, and the California Blockchain Working Group. She formerly served on the board of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. She is Co-founder of Hummingbird RegTech.
In 2021, Jo Ann was named Fintech Woman of the Year by Finovate and selected to the Forbes list of 50 Over 50. She is also in the Fintech Hall of Fame. She previously served on the CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board and chaired the board of the Financial Health Network. She has published nearly 200 articles and speaks each year to thousands of people throughout the world.
Nick Cook is Chief Innovation Officer at AIR. Based in London, he was previously the Director of the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Innovation Division, including the agency’s RegTech and TechSprint initiatives, its data and analytics strategy, machine learning endeavours, and the “Innovate” program (encompassing the Regulatory Sandbox, innovation and digital policy, and industry-facing direct support services). At AIR, Nick heads the TechSprint program and the nascent AIR Fair Finance Accelerator, working with partners and the innovation ecosystem to define its scope ...
Kisha Perkins joined the Alliance for Innovation Regulation (AIR) as the Chief Program Officer responsible for program strategy, project design and delivery, planning, staffing, resource management, and quality control of all programs. Prior to joining AIR, Kisha held several leadership roles during a 12-year stint in consulting, supporting large financial institutions in solving complex, multi-faceted consumer compliance challenges. Kisha led project execution and delivery teams that advanced consumer remediation initiatives, consent order deliverables and technology-focused solutions.
Randy Repka is the Chief Growth Officer at AIR and is based in Stowe, Vt. Since coming aboard at the beginning of 2020, Randy has planned and produced an array of regulatory Techsprints in partnership with both U.S. and non-U.S. agencies. In addition to consulting with regulators and financial firms on innovation techniques and solution- building, she published “How To Produce a TechSprint: A Manual for Regulators,” and has developed many templates and resources designed to help organizations stand up and manage their own TechSprints.
Lexi was a founding member of the original three-person team, along with Jo Ann Barefoot and David Ehrich, that launched AIR in 2019. As Chief of Staff, she oversees numerous operational, administrative, human resources and strategic activities, as well as marketing, communications and events. As AIR was getting off the ground, Lexi led activities relating to branding, public relations, website management and content creation. She provides ongoing leadership in managing rapid growth focused on productivity, program management and communications. She plays a role in AIR’s public policy work and leads ...
Rosario serves as the Fractional Chief Marketing Officer at AIR, bringing over 25 years of experience from both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. She specializes in building effective marketing operations and strategic marketing plans that strengthen brand awareness and achieve goals. She provides strategic oversight to AIR’s marketing and communication initiatives in support of the organization’s mission and vision. She was previously the director of communications & marketing at the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), where she led the reorganization ...
A seasoned TechSprint leader, Shelley spent 16 years at the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority before coming to AIR in January 2022. Starting in 2015, she was part of the FCA’s Regtech team, designing and leading TechSprints and developing the regulator’s approach to interacting with the global Regtech ecosystem. Specializing in innovation for vulnerable consumers, Shelley has designed programs that look at the barriers faced by digital financial services consumers, and at how both regulators and firms can design better products for inclusion.
F. Christopher Calabia joins AIR with three decades of experience in financial regulation. He is enthusiastic about AIR’s mission to promote the responsible use of technology for the public good. Currently Chris is Head of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Digital Currency Initiative. He leads research engagements with central banks and other stakeholders to advise policymakers on the potential risks and opportunities associated with the launch of this new digital asset. In that vein, Chris began his career as a central banker ...
Aye Diallo joined the Alliance for Innovative Regulation in 2022 as TechSprint and Innovation Program Manager where she works with global partners to conceive of and implement TechSprints and other initiatives aimed at using digital technology to solve financial and regulatory problems. Prior to joining AIR, Aye worked as a program developer and project manager leading efforts to create a more equitable startup community through Gender Equality in Tech (GET) Cities Chicago. She then worked in D.C. at a public relations firm, using economic analysis ...
Elise joined AIR as the Finance & Operations Manager in early 2023. She supports and manages day-to-day financial and administrative activities, including organizational and project budgets, AIR’s operational policies, and internal controls. Prior to joining AIR, Elise held business management and administrative positions at growing firms in the Boston area for over six years, primarily in the financial services sector. She worked most recently as the business operations manager at Crowninshield Financial Research in Brookline, and before that at Cabot Investment Technology ...
Mariama joined AIR in April 2023 and works with a diverse group of partner organizations and other stakeholders to develop, launch and facilitate TechSprints and other innovation-focused programs. Throughout her career, she has successfully delivered advisory services to financial services clients, specializing in business transformation, program management, system implementations and process refinement. A former Director in KPMG's Advisory Group, Mariama provided expert advice to Fortune 500 companies on business integration and financial models ...
Victoria Jory joined AIR in May 2024 as Strategic Engagement Lead and Program Manager. She joins us from Women's World Banking where she led Global Events and Brand Sponsorships. Prior to joining Women’s World Banking, she was Director, Global Impact at Standard Chartered Bank where she worked for a total of 14 years. During this time, Victoria had experience across the European Region and Group, working in Group Sustainability, Private Bank (West) and the Europe CEO's Office. She led two of the Group’s global flagship initiatives: 'Seeing is Believing', where the Bank raised $104 million ...
Danae joined the team as Executive Assistant in February 2023. In her primary role, she supports CEO Jo Ann Barefoot and Executive Director David Ehrich with scheduling, travel planning and logistics, and provides additional administrative support. Danae came to AIR with a diverse career background in account and operations management, logistics, event planning, and executive administration for both nonprofits and consulting firms. Most recently, she spent nearly a decade as an executive assistant at a growing healthcare consulting startup in the Washington ...
Nitya joined AIR in May 2023 as a Program Manager. She collaborates with diverse global partners on TechSprints focusing on the potential of data mining and AI to enhance financial inclusion. She also provides consulting and technology education services for regulators in emerging markets. Prior to joining AIR, Nitya spent eight years working in credit, payments and strategy roles at prominent Indian banks and other financial services firms. As a result of this experience, she has an in-depth understanding of the impact and market nuances resulting from new regulatory processes ...
Grace Mathebula joined AIR in October 2022 as a TechSprint Manager, based in Gauteng, South Africa. She manages TechSprints and sprint-related projects that help regulators and others innovate in the areas of financial inclusion, among other things, working with partners and the AIR team to meet program objectives. As a senior PMP-certified project manager and certified SCRUM Master, she has over 14 years of experience managing projects and programs in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and data analytics. For most of that time, she focused on credit risk process ...
Joe joined AIR in November 2021 as its first Global Head of Marketing and Communications. He leads marketing activities across all channels with a strategic focus on increasing AIR’s brand awareness, expanding its reach and optimizing communications for the greatest impact. His focus areas include website management, social media marketing, email marketing, speaking appearances, podcast promotion, public relations, fundraising materials and event support. Joe has over a decade of marketing experience in the graphics and publishing sector from his previous roles ...
Katie, who joined AIR in 2022, leads and supports TechSprint-related initiatives and other innovation programs across the organization. She has always been passionate about mission-driven work, including protecting vulnerable customers and the environment, which are both AIR priorities. Prior to working at AIR, Katie had a long career in traditional financial services. During 15 years at American Express, she filled many leadership roles across numerous business areas, including Prepaid Cards, Customer Experience and Travel. Her most recent roles primarily focused on managing the ...
Mike joined AIR as a Program Director in April 2023 with more than 11 years of prior regulatory compliance experience. He worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for over eight years where he led or participated in examinations of community and regional banks across the U.S., including several of the most complex banks overseen by the agency. Mike also served as an instructor at the FDIC’s compliance examination schools and provided consumer compliance training internally and to regional industry groups ...
Carmen Versluis joined AIR January 2024 as Event Manager and is based in Northern California. She assists the team with all of their event needs, including in-person or virtual TechSprints, roundtables, showcases, and workshops set-up and execution. Carmen graduated from Heald Business College in 1982 as a Legal/Administrative Secretary, which launched a career in a variety of senior administrative positions across many industries, including finance. In 2000 Carmen graduated from Sacramento City College ...
Stay informed by joining our mailing list