Kirsten Wegner, CEO
Kirsten Wegner is the Chief Executive Officer of the Modern Markets Initiative (MMI), a non-profit education and advocacy group for innovation in today’s financial markets. Kirsten is a lawyer, speaker, and podcast host on financial technology and the markets, with a particular emphasis on how technology can democratize access to the markets for retail investors. She is also a prolific author of opinion commentary on the markets, with published pieces in the Financial Times, The Hill, Insider, Morning Consult and RealClearMarkets.
As MMI’s chief executive, Kirsten has testified before Congress on “Robots on Wall Street” before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. She is a frequent speaker at industry and university conferences, including the Milken Global Conference and Princeton Fintech and Quant Conference, on market automation and the role of innovation in saving investors money. Kirsten co-hosts a podcast,CryptoStudyHall, on social justice and the future of money.
Before joining MMI, Kirsten served as Director, Government Relations for the International Securities Exchange, where she built the Washington office of the first all-electronic options exchange from the ground up. She previously worked as an attorney at a global law firm advising exchanges, brokers, startups, automated traders, and a variety of financial institutions on financial regulation and legislative policy. Kirsten holds a J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. degree from Columbia University. Her Twitter handle is @KirstenWegner.
MMI Advisory Board
The MMI Advisory Board is a community of change-makers who share a common goal: advancing secure savings and investment through innovation. The Advisory Board meets regularly to tackle industry issues and discuss creative solutions for ensuring that we maintain the Best Markets Ever.
Topics the Advisory Board is addressing in the coming year include:
- recognizing the key role that technology plays in advancing savings;
- technological solutions for democratizing access to investment
- helping pension funds to innovate, and highlighting innovative pension funds
- promoting women in technology, innovation and investing
- showcasing the competitiveness of US innovators and their role creating the Best Markets Ever
Advisory Board Members
Lita Frazier-Brannan
Lita Frazier-Brannan is Vice President, Government Relations at Cboe Global Markets, Inc. In this role, Frazier-Brannan serves as Cboe’s sole Washington, D.C.-based associate, managing the company’s government relations efforts . Frazier-Brannan is crucial in communicating Cboe’s positions on various issues facing the financial sector and advocating for the industry. Frazier-Brannan boasts more than 30 years of experience representing the derivatives industry on Capitol Hill. Before joining Cboe, she headed CME Group’s Washington, D.C. office and spent 14 years in various roles at the company, including helping coordinate activities for its political action committee .
Maryam Cope
Maryam Cope is Director of Government Affairs at SIA. In this role she leads government advocacy efforts related to technology and e-commerce policy issues, including managing public policy, regulatory, and legislative affairs relating to innovation, technology, and competition issues. Previously, Cope served at GoldsteinCope Policy Solutions and as a staff member for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, where she focused on global internet policy, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and telecommunications.
Vinoda Basnayake
Mr. Basnayake is known for his work on behalf of small business owners and promoting opportunities for young entrepreneurs through his civic involvement on the Small and Local Business Opportunity Commission. In addition, he has been recognized as one of the "the most influential Washingtonians under 40."
Jeannine Markoe Raymond
Jeannine Markoe Raymond is Executive Director at NASRA.Her responsibilities primary feature includes coordinating numerous policy efforts regarding state and local retirement issues. She is also a frequent guest speaker and frequently writes on topics pertaining to federal legislative and regulatory matters on this policy portfolio, as well as state retirement system policies and trends.
Dr. Jim Angel
Dr. Jim Angel is a professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He specializes in the structure and regulation of financial markets around the world.. He has visited over 75 financial exchanges around the world. He teaches undergraduate, MBA, and executive courses, including Fintech, and Investments. ''Dr. Jim'' has testified before Congress about issues relating to the design of financial markets. In addition, he has been quoted in hundreds of newspaper articles and has appeared numerous times on radio and television.
Jameeel Johnson
Jameel Johnson is an Associate Vice President, Government Relations at NASDAQ. In this role, Johnson interacts with members of the U.S. Congress, Treasury Department officials, and SEC regulators to communicate the policy concerns of the firm. He works out of the Washington, D.C. office and has been with the company since January 2008.
Hope Jarkowski
Hope Jarkowski is the Head of Equities for the New York Stock Exchange. His primary responsibilities include conducting educational outreach on financial services issues, drawing upon her public sector experience as an attorney at the SEC and for the U.S. Senate Banking Committee.
Hank Kim
Hank Kim is the Executive Director and counsel at NCPERS where he directs the day-to-day operations of the largest public pension trade association in the United States. He is known for his thought leadership on advancing secure retirement savings for public pension fund participants, advocating for the benefits of defined benefit pension plans, and as a voice of the savings community.
Anthony Masso
Anthony Masso is the President and Co-Founder of Succession Systems, a technology company focused on global Market Access Compliance solutions. Before devoting his work to Succession, Anthony worked as an attorney in NYC, served as General Counsel to a proprietary trading firm and a start-up colocation and infra-structure company. He has worked in the broker/dealer space for the past 20 years with a special emphasis on market access issues, technology, and compliance.
Bailey Childers
Bailey Childers is Director of Government Relations for the German Marshall Fund. In her previous role as Director of Federal Government Affairs at AFSCME , she led national and state efforts to advance retirement security for working Americans. A thought leader on pensions and retirement policy, she has been published in The Hill, Huffington Post, and on Medium, and has appeared on television outlets such as CNBC and CNN Money.
Chris Mohr
Chris Mohr is the President of SIIA, spearheading public advocacy on intellectual property issues and works closely with technology industries. Previously he served as the Senior Vice President for Intellectual Property and General Counsel SIIA. In addition to acting as the organization’s chief legal officer, he serves as the organization’s front-facing advocate on intellectual property policy and runs its antipiracy program. Chris has testified before state legislatures and the United States Congress several times on a variety of intellectual property and constitutional law issues. While in private practice, he was involved in several appellate and U.S. Supreme Court cases involving free speech, intellectual property, and privacy issues as they related to the information and technology industries.
Alfred Campos
Alfred Campos is the Division Director for the AARP’s National Retired Teachers Association (NRTA), serving the interests of the nation’s largest community of retired educators. In this role, Campos serves as the NRTA’s national spokesperson and leads the organization’s strategic direction, management, advocacy, and community engagement efforts. Before joining the NRTA, Campos was a part of the leadership team at the National Education Association’s (NEA) Government Relations Department, responsible for advancing the group’s interests on key federal legislative and regulatory issues, such as taxation, pensions, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, health care, and school finance. Campos also previously worked for the Financial Planning Association as their Counsel and Assistant Director of Government Relations and as Legislative Counsel for U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). Campos holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany, a Juris Doctor from Western New England University School of Law, and is a member of the US Supreme Court, District of Columbia, and Connecticut Bars.