Audria Lee

Audria Pendergrass Lee leads FINRA’s strategic diversity & inclusion, workforce compliance and talent acquisition efforts for more than 3,500 employees across 16 offices. Since joining FINRA in 2009, Ms. Pendergrass Lee has established FINRA as a benchmark organization for diversity and inclusion in the financial services space and spearheaded the strategic deployment of resources that support FINRA's goal to foster an attractive and inclusive workplace. She facilitated the creation of an award-winning diversity leadership council and employee resource group program, launched formal mentoring programs, overseen the implementation of organization-wide diversity education and made significant enhancements to flexible work arrangements, gender- and LGBTQ-inclusive policies and other diversity programming efforts.  In 2019, Ms. Pendergrass Lee was recognized by The Network Journal as an Influential Black Woman in Business. She also serves on the board of the Center for Workforce Compliance and as a member of the Tanenbaum Workplace Advisory Council.  

Ms. Pendergrass Lee, a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and has continued her studies at the University of Maryland University College and Aresty Institute of Executive Education at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.