WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 2, 2020) – Lisa A. Hopkins, West Virginia’s Senior Deputy Securities Commissioner, today began a one-year term as president of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), the longest serving international organization devoted to investor protection and responsible capital formation.

“I will use my term in office to serve as a strong advocate for investors and to support my fellow securities commissioners throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico in their mission of investor protection,” Hopkins said in remarks during NASAA’s Annual Meeting. “I intend to focus attention on strengthening engagement and inclusion among NASAA members, fellow regulators, industry, and the investors we serve, especially those in our states and provinces who have been underserved.”

Noting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on regulators, industry and investors, Hopkins announced NASAA is establishing a Crisis Planning and Recovery Committee to work with state and provincial securities regulators and external stakeholders. “Current events have proven the need and effectiveness of teamwork and collaboration,” she said. “We need fewer silos and more bridges. I look forward to continuing this collaboration long after the masks come off.”

Hopkins said she will continue NASAA’s dialog with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the agency’s exempt offering framework. “I continue to be very concerned about the SEC’s attempt to expand private markets – and the participation of retail investors in those markets – without a commensurate increase in oversight,” she said.

A priority of her term will be continuing to focus attention on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “This is an important issue and one that deserves ongoing attention and dialog,” she said. “We are listening to stakeholders in an effort to strengthen our understanding. We need to listen thoughtfully and then engage meaningfully. If there is a way for regulators to be a part of the solution, we want to be there.”

Hopkins announced NASAA’s new Board of Directors, including:

• President-elect Melanie Senter Lubin, Maryland Securities Commissioner;
• Past President Christopher W. Gerold, Chief, New Jersey Bureau of Securities;
• William Beatty, Director, Washington Securities Division;
• Andrew Hartnett, Deputy Administrator for Securities, Iowa Securities Bureau;
• Kevin Hoyt, Chief Executive Officer, New Brunswick Financial & Consumer Services Commission;
• Travis Iles, Commissioner, Texas State Securities Board;
• Claire McHenry, Deputy Director, Nebraska Department of Banking & Finance Bureau of Securities; and
• Leslie Van Buskirk, Administrator, Wisconsin Division of Securities.

Hopkins also announced chairs or co-chairs of NASAA’s section committees for the coming year:

• Broker Dealer: Marni Gibson, Kentucky Securities Administrator;
• Corporation Finance: Michael Pieciak, Vermont Commissioner of Financial Regulation;
• Enforcement: Joseph Borg, Alabama Securities Commission Director;
• Investment Adviser: Alex Glass, Indiana Securities Commissioner; and
• Investor Education: Diane Young-Spitzer, Acting Director of the Massachusetts Securities Division, and Noula Zaharis, Director of the Georgia Secretary of State Securities and Charities Division.

For the past year, Hopkins has served as NASAA’s president-elect. Previously, she served as chair of NASAA’s Corporation Finance Section, and has served on NASAA’s Investment Advisor Section Committee, as well as the Finance and Audit, Member Services, and Investment Adviser Continuing Education committees. She has served in the West Virginia Auditor’s Office since 1999 as both General Counsel and Senior Deputy Securities Commissioner. In 2016 she served as the 20th West Virginia State Auditor and was the first woman in the state to hold that office. Prior to her career in public service she worked in the private sector as an attorney.