Jelena McWilliams on Tuesday was sworn in as the 21st Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. She succeeds Martin Gruenberg, who had served on the FDIC Board since August 2005, as vice chairman and acting chairman before becoming Chairman on Nov. 29, 2012.

McWilliams was appointed by President Trump to serve as chairman of the FDIC for a term of five years and a six-year term on the FDIC Board of Directors.

Prior to joining the FDIC Board, McWilliams was executive vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary for Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati, Ohio. Previously, she worked with the Senate Banking Committee as chief counsel and deputy staff director.

She also served as assistant chief counsel with the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

Prior to working for the Senate, McWilliams served as an attorney at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Before entering public service, she practiced corporate and securities law at Morrison & Foerster in Palo Alto, California, and Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C.

McWilliams received a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

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