The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced longtime Head of Enforcement Jessica Hopper will depart Feb. 3.

Hopper leaves having served an 18-year tenure at FINRA, culminating in her leadership of the department of enforcement. During her time as head of enforcement, FINRA brought numerous disciplinary actions, including its largest-ever enforcement action, prioritized returning money to harmed investors, and completed an initiative to combine previously separate units into an integrated “One Enforcement” department.

Christopher Kelly, senior vice president and deputy head of enforcement, was named acting head of enforcement until FINRA selects a new head of enforcement.

Hopper has been executive vice president and head of enforcement since 2020 after being named acting head of enforcement in September 2019. She climbed the ladder after joining FINRA in 2004 as an enforcement attorney, then serving as director in the Washington, D.C. office from 2005-11, when she was promoted to vice president in charge of the regional enforcement program. In 2016, she was named senior vice president and deputy head of enforcement.

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