Former senior FDIC official to lead national organization of state financial regulators  

Washington, D.C. – The Conference of State Bank Supervisors’ Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Brandon Milhorn, currently deputy to FDIC Vice Chairman Travis Hill and previously chief operating officer, chief of staff and deputy to FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams, as its next president and CEO, effective Dec. 4. Milhorn will succeed James M. Cooper, who leaves CSBS for a long-planned retirement from the state system.  

Milhorn brings to CSBS nearly three decades of advocacy, policy, legal and regulatory experience, primarily in and around Washington, D.C., including five years in critical senior leadership roles with the FDIC, seven years in the private sector with Raytheon and over a decade of service as counsel to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Intelligence, the CIA, and in two prominent U.S. Court clerkships. He is an experienced and innovative executive who has led and transformed large dispersed teams of over 6,000 highly qualified corporate and field professionals, devised and managed budgets exceeding $2 billion for enterprise-wide initiatives including complex technology deployments, and worked collaboratively, transparently and constructively with regulators and policymakers nationwide to enhance the safety and soundness of the U.S. economy and for the benefit of the various constituents he has served. 

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are excited to welcome Brandon Milhorn as our next CEO,” said CSBS Board Chair and North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions Commissioner Lise Kruse. “Brandon brings a unique blend of relevant experiences, valuable networks and reputation, and the leadership skills necessary to meet the high expectations we have of our next leader, established with extensive input from all CSBS members and staff, that will allow CSBS to realize its full potential. The Board and staff look forward to working with him in service to our members nationwide and in collaboration with our partners in Washington.” 

“CSBS members serve as the cornerstone of the dual-banking system, supervising the financial services that are the lifeblood of the United States economy,” said Milhorn. “For more than a century CSBS has provided the advocacy, education and infrastructure critical to support our members’ vital mission. I am honored to join the dedicated CSBS team as its next CEO, and I am grateful for the trust of our members and the Board of Directors.” 

Milhorn is a native of Tennessee who earned his B.S. in Economics from East Tennessee State University where he graduated summa cum laude in 1994 and his J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School in 1997. 

Milhorn takes the helm from Cooper, who served as CSBS president and CEO following the sudden death of CSBS leader John W. Ryan in May 2022. During his tenure, Cooper helped to advance the state system’s strategy for strengthening and streamlining state regulation, known as Networked Supervision, and provided stability during a time of stress for the banking system.  

“CSBS and its members are grateful for the committed service of Jim Cooper who has served with distinction as CEO since June 2022 following the unexpected passing of our CEO John Ryan,” said Kruse. “Under Jim’s leadership we have made substantial progress particularly with our NMLS platform. We thank Jim for his many years of service to CSBS and its members and we wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”  

Cooper previously directed CSBS policy and supervision for nine years as senior vice president and executive vice president. He joined CSBS following a 30-year career at the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions, where he served as deputy director from 1994 to 2013. 

“I would also like to thank past Chair Tom Fite for his leadership and support, my fellow members on the Transition Committee created by Tom for their tireless commitment of time and energy, and the CSBS members and staff who all provided critical input to this rigorous and comprehensive process. We are delighted with the outcome and the entire Board and staff look forward with anticipation, confidence, and optimism to the future of CSBS under the leadership of our next CEO, Brandon Milhorn,” Kruse concluded. 

Contact:  Laura Fisher, [email protected], 202-812-9813

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) is the national organization of financial regulators from all 50 states, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. State regulators supervise roughly three-quarters of all U.S. banks and a variety of non-depository financial services. CSBS, on behalf of state regulators, also operates the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System to license and register non-depository financial service providers in the mortgage, money services businesses, consumer finance and debt industries.