New York Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday nominated Adrienne Harris, a former economic advisor to President Obama, to be the next Superintendent of the state’s Department of Financial Services. Harris, if confirmed, will replaced Linda Lacewell, who resigned last month in the wake of the scandal that brought down Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Most recently, Harris has been an advisor to a public relations firm, a professor at the University of Michigan, and chief business officer and advisor at States Title (now DOMA) since leaving public service. While in the federal government, Harris served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and worked as an advisor at the Treasury Department.
“As I’ve said from the moment I took office, I will be assembling the strongest possible team to help New York move towards a brighter future and with Adrienne Harris as our state’s top financial regulator, New Yorkers can rest assured that this administration isn’t simply focused on just protecting consumers, but on advancing an equitable economic recovery that seeks to lift up all citizens, not just the privileged few,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. “From her time working with President Obama to help the nation forge a path forward in the aftermath of 2007’s Great Recession to her vast experience in the private sector helping ensure companies of all sizes act as good corporate citizens, there is no one better suited to help lead this state’s economy forward and I, for one, cannot wait to get to work with Adrienne to deliver real results for the people of this great state.”
The Department of Financial Services is considered to be one of the strongest state regulators in the nation. It was created a decade ago — by Gov. Cuomo — when he consolidated the state’s insurance and banking regulatory agencies into one body.
