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Strategic Advisor·Specialty Finance

Adrienne Harris

Board Director; Professor of Practice at University of Michigan at LendingClub; University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy

New York, NY

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Why they matter

Just-departed, longest-serving NY financial regulator now advising from Sullivan & Cromwell — unmatched insight into how DFS treats lender licensing, AI, and cyber rules.

Background

Adrienne Harris is the longest-serving Superintendent in the history of the New York State Department of Financial Services (2021–2025), where she regulated banks, insurers, virtual currency firms, and non-bank lenders and drove the agency's landmark cybersecurity and AI guidance. She briefly joined LendingClub's Board of Directors in July 2021 but resigned six weeks later ahead of her DFS nomination to avoid conflicts of interest. Prior to public service she was founding Chief Business Officer and General Counsel of insurtech States Title (now Doma) and a Professor of Practice at the University of Michigan's Ford School; she rejoined Sullivan & Cromwell as Of Counsel and Policy Advisor in October 2025.

Notable deals

  • 2021
    Appointed to LendingClub's Board of Directors, then resigned six weeks later ahead of her NY DFS nomination
  • 2022
    Confirmed by the NY State Senate as Superintendent of the NY Department of Financial Services, becoming the first African American woman to lead the agency
  • 2024
    Issued DFS guidance directing regulated entities to address AI-driven cybersecurity risks, including AI-enhanced social engineering and supply-chain vulnerabilities
  • 2025
    Concluded her DFS tenure as the longest-serving Superintendent in the agency's history and rejoined Sullivan & Cromwell as Of Counsel and Policy Advisor

Call-prep brief

Adrienne Harris — Call Prep Brief

Background

  • Longest-serving Superintendent of the NY Dept. of Financial Services (2021–2025); first Black woman to lead the agency.
  • Prior career: Obama NEC/Treasury advisor, founding GC/Chief Business Officer of States Title (now Doma), Professor of Practice at University of Michigan Ford School.
  • Briefly sat on LendingClub's board in 2021 before resigning over conflict-of-interest optics tied to her DFS nomination.

Current focus

  • Of Counsel and Policy Advisor at Sullivan & Cromwell (Financial Services Group), advising banks, fintechs, and insurers on regulatory strategy — not a lending operator or investor today.

What she cares about

  • Responsible fintech/crypto regulation, cybersecurity (especially AI-driven threats), consumer protection, and modernizing state-level financial supervision.

Recent moves

  • Departed DFS in October 2025 after shaping national conversation on crypto oversight (BitLicense regime) and issuing first-in-nation AI cybersecurity guidance for regulated entities.

Sensitivities

  • As a former regulator now at a law firm, she is bound by ethics/cooling-off restrictions on discussing specific matters she supervised at DFS — avoid asking for confidential regulatory intelligence.
  • Her fast 2021 LendingClub resignation shows she is highly sensitive to conflict-of-interest optics; frame outreach around policy expertise, not deal sourcing.

Questions to ask

  1. How do you expect DFS's licensing and supervisory posture toward specialty lenders to evolve under her successor?
  2. What AI/cyber compliance gaps do you see specialty finance and lending platforms underestimating right now?
  3. Which regulatory friction points most affected non-bank lenders during your DFS tenure, and how should operators prepare?

Outreach draft

Subject
Your DFS lens on specialty lending regulation
Hi Adrienne, I lead deal work on specialty finance and lending platforms and have been following your tenure at DFS, particularly your work on AI-driven cybersecurity guidance and licensing oversight for non-bank lenders. As you settle into your new role at Sullivan & Cromwell, I'd value 20 minutes to hear your read on where state-level regulatory risk is heading for specialty lenders and fintech-enabled credit platforms. Would you be open to a short call in the coming weeks? Happy to work around your schedule. Best, [Placeholder Name]

Linked companies

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