Brian P. Brooks has been in the news recently as he was one among the potential nominees to the post of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair under the upcoming Trump presidency. He was also recently appointed as one of the board of directors of Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy along with Jane Dietze and Gregg Winiarski, chief legal officer at Fanatics Holdings. A former Acting Comptroller of the Currency of the United States, Brooks is a highly experienced professional in the field of banking and finance.
In this article, you will learn more about Brian P. Brooks and his life as a major figure in the banking and finance sector of the United States.
Early Life And Education
Brian P. Brooks was born in 1969 in Pueblo, Colorado, U.S. He is an alumnus of Harward University where he graduated with an A.B. cum laude distinction in Government in 1991. He later completed a J.D. degree in Law from the prestigious University of Chicago Law School in 1994.
Career
Soon after graduating with a law degree, Brian P Brooks worked as a clerk to Judge Danny J. Boogs of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. He later joined the famous law firm O’Melveny and Myers LLP. During his stint here from 1994 to 2011, Brooks chaired the Financial Services Practice Group and became the Managing Partner of its Washington DC Office.
He later served as the Vice Chairman of OneWest Bank from May 2011 to November 2014. He went on to serve as the Executive Vice President of the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Fannie Mae from November 2014 to September 2018.
From November 2017 to March 2020, Brooks served as a member of the Board of Directors and chaired the Compliance and Information Security Committee of Avant. Avant was ranked #5 on KPMG’s 2017 Fintech 100 list of the top financial technology companies in the world and #9 on the 2019 Forbes list of the most valuable fintechs in the United States.
From March 2018 to March 2020, Brooks served as the founding advisor of Spring Labs. Brian Brooks was the Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase from September 2018 to March 2020. He served as the head of legal, compliance, internal audit, government relations, and global investigations groups of Coinbase. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from May 2020 to January 2021.
Brooks was the first Deputy Comptroller of the Currency and its Chief Operating Officer. He was later elected as the Acting Comptroller of the Currency of the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) from May 2020 to January 2021. He chaired the Technology and Systems Subcommittee and was a member of the OCC’s Executive Committee.
As the Acting Comptroller, Brian Brooks also served as a director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and a member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. Under his leadership, Project REACh (Roundtable for Economic Access and Change) was conceived.
Brooks also served as the CEO of Binance US for a brief stint from May to August 2021. From October 2021 to December 2022, Brian Brooks served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bitfury. At present, Brian Brooks is serving as a Senior Advisor of the Valor Capital Group, Counsel at the law firm O’Melveny and Myers LLP, and the Chairman and CEO of Meridian Capital Group, America’s leading commercial real estate finance platform.
Also read: Who Is Christopher Giancarlo? Crypto Dad’s Blockchain Activism, CFTC Career & Personal Details
The Bottom Line
Brian Brooks is well-educated and experienced in the laws that govern the American financial system. As a new member of the Board of Directors of MicroStrategy, Brooks brings in his vast experience of serving different organizations.
Being a favorite investor of President-elect Donald Trump, there are rumors that Brian Brooks will be made the chairman of the SEC. Brian Brooks will be a seminal presence in determining the future of the US economy in this age of transition to digital money.
