FINRA Names Gerri Walsh President of the FINRA Foundation, Head of Investor Education

WASHINGTON — The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) announced today that Gerri Walsh has been named President of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and head of FINRA's Investor Education division. Walsh will be taking over these two positions from John Gannon, who left FINRA earlier this year.

"Gerri's leadership and dedication to protecting investors will help ensure the continued success of the FINRA Foundation and FINRA's investor education program. She brings a track record of success and innovative thinking to these vital positions," said FINRA Chairman and CEO Rick Ketchum, who is also Chairman of the Investor Education Foundation.

Walsh joined FINRA in May 2006, serving as Vice President and Deputy Director of Investor Education. In this role, Walsh helped develop and implement many of FINRA's investor education initiatives and programs, and led outreach efforts for the FINRA Foundation's Military Financial Education Program and the Investor Protection Campaign.

Before joining FINRA, Walsh was Deputy Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) and, before that, Special Counsel to the Director of OIEA. She also served as a senior attorney in the SEC's Division of Enforcement, investigating and prosecuting violators of the federal securities laws.

Prior to joining the SEC, Walsh was an associate with Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells LLC). She received her J.D. from N.Y.U. School of Law and her bachelor's degree from Amherst College.

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. FINRA is dedicated to investor protection and market integrity through effective and efficient regulation and complementary compliance and technology-based services. FINRA touches virtually every aspect of the securities business – from registering and educating all industry participants to examining securities firms, writing and enforcing rules and the federal securities laws, informing and educating the investing public, providing trade reporting and other industry utilities, and administering the largest dispute resolution forum for investors and registered firms. For more information, please visit www.finra.org.