Jelena McWilliams

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to nominate Jelena McWilliams, Fifth Third Bancorp's top attorney, to serve as the next head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the White House said on Thursday November 29 2017. McWilliams has worked as the bank's chief legal officer since January, and if confirmed by the Senate, would take the helm of a key financial regulator that is still being run by an appointee of former President Barack Obama. The Trump administration had to scramble to find an FDIC chief after its prior nominee, James Clinger, withdrew his name from consideration in July, citing family issues. McWilliams also has a history in Congress, having served as a Senate staffer going back to 2010. She most recently served in the Senate as senior counsel to Republican Senator Richard Shelby, who at the time was the chairman of the Banking Committee. McWilliams also spent three years as an attorney for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Before entering public service, she practiced corporate and securities law at Morrison & Foerster LLP in Palo Alto, California, and Hogan & Hartson LLP (now Hogan Lovells LLP) in Washington, D.C. Ms. McWilliams graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in political science, and earned her law degree from U.C. Berkeley School of Law.