Ellen Lazar was appointed Senior Advisor to the Chairman for Consumer Policy at the FDIC in June 2009 following a far-reaching and distinguished career, spanning three decades, focused on consumer protection, with particular expertise in community development and affordable housing nationally and in the Washington, D.C., area.
Ms. Lazar advises FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg on a variety of consumer issues, policies and programs, including the legal and policy aspects of FDIC activities related to community development, affordable housing and consumer protection. She is also the lead advisor to Chairman Gruenberg on issues before the FDIC's Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion – whose goal is to expand access to banking services by underserved populations – and oversees the development of policy proposals to implement Committee recommendations.
Ms. Lazar has been active in the community throughout her long career, serving in leadership roles on several national and local boards of affordable housing and community development organizations.
Ms. Lazar is a graduate of Queens College of the City University of New York, and the Indiana School of Law at Bloomington.