Commissioner Virginia Varela is the Head of Community Banking for SoFi Bank, N.A. She was the President and CEO of Golden Pacific Bank, a nationally chartered community bank headquartered in Sacramento for eight years until it was acquired by SoFi Technologies in February 2022, making it one of the largest approved fintech bank purchases in the nation. Before that, Virginia held executive and Board positions at three California community banks, including CEO/President/Director at the Bank of Rio Vista, President/Director at San Luis Trust Bank, and COO at Bank of the Orient.

Commissioner Miguel A. Santana is President and CEO of the Weingart Foundation, which advances racial justice in Southern California through grantmaking and impact investing. Commissioner Santana has over 30 years of experience leading numerous fiscal, legislative, political, and community issues. He most recently served as President and C.E.O. of Fairplex, a regional community benefit organization based in Pomona, CA.

Under Commissioner Paulina Gonzalez-Brito’s leadership, CRC has expanded its work to directly challenge systemic and structural racism within the U.S. financial system and to focus CRC’s work on building collective political and organizing power amongst and with frontline communities to close the racial wealth gap.

Commissioner Manisha Padi’s research and teaching focus on consumer finance, specifically savings, debt, and the impact of law and regulation on private markets. Her scholarship has appeared in the Michigan Law Review and the Boston University Law Review, as well as being cited by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the 2^nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining Berkeley Law, Commissioner Padi was a Bigelow Fellow and NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago.

Commissioner Byron Lopez has been a Senior Policy Analyst at Service Employees International Union Local 2015 since 2015. In his capacity at Local 2015, Commissioner Lopez provides policy analysis on long-term care issues and other issues impacting workers and their communities. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Alameda Alliance for Health which provides health care coverage for residents of Alameda County.

Clothilde “Cloey” V. Hewlett is Commissioner of the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), the state’s financial regulator. She was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2021 and has served California under three different governors, dedicating much of her career to protecting consumers.