Nathaniel Stankard

Nathaniel Stankard is Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO. In this role, he works closely with the CEO to execute FINRA’s enterprise strategy and enable more effective and efficient operations across the organization. He also advises on regulatory policy.
Mr. Stankard joined FINRA in 2017 as Senior Advisor to the CEO, playing a key role in FINRA’s strategic planning and policy initiatives. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO for Regulatory Operations, leading initiatives to better integrate the strategy and technology of FINRA’s regulatory programs.
Mr. Stankard previously worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for seven years. He first served as the Counsel to the Director of the Division of Trading and Markets and later as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy for Chair Mary Jo White, where he managed the rulemaking agenda of the Commission; advised the Chair on a diverse range of complex legal and policy matters; and represented the Chair in negotiations with other agencies and market participants.
Mr. Stankard’s financial industry background also includes Morgan Stanley, where he was an Executive Director in what is now the Global Sustainable Finance Group, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he advised financial institutions and markets on regulatory and compliance matters.
Mr. Stankard received a B.A. in Economics from Oberlin College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.