The White House on Thursday nominated Christy Goldsmith Romero to run the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as it looks to shake up the US banking regulator after a recent report found evidence of workplace misconduct.
Goldsmith Romero is currently a commissioner at the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, which oversees the US derivatives markets, and has held jobs at a number of other US government agencies, including the US Treasury.
If confirmed by the US Senate, she would replace Martin Gruenberg, who said last month he would resign after an independent report found evidence of widespread sexual misconduct and a "patriarchal" culture at the FDIC.
"Christy Goldsmith Romero has more than 20 years of experience as a career federal attorney and leader in financial regulation, serving under four presidents," the White House said in a statement announcing her nomination.
Her nomination was welcomed by Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee. He said nomination hearings would follow in the coming weeks.
"I call on the entire Banking and Housing Committee, Senate leadership, and the full Senate to move quickly to bring new leadership to the FDIC at this challenging time," he said in a statement.
A swift decision would allow the Biden administration to install their pick to run the FDIC, which protects bank deposits, ahead of November's presidential elections.
Gruenberg has run the FDIC on and off since 2005.
The FDIC-commissioned report published last month found the FDIC had "failed to provide a workplace safe from sexual harassment, discrimination and other interpersonal misconduct."
"If confirmed, Christy Goldsmith Romero must immediately begin taking steps to reverse the toxic culture overseen by Gruenberg to rebuild trust between FDIC employees and management," House Financial Services Committee chairman Patrick McHenry said in a statement.