ABA taps next leader for its Office of Innovation

The American Bankers Association has a new leader for its Office of Innovation. 

The association said in a press release that Brooke Ybarra was also named senior vice president of innovation and strategy. Her role includes identifying promising startups and emerging technologies that could benefit the banking industry. 

“Brooke has impressed all of us with her understanding of the banking innovation marketplace and the challenges banks face in staying on the cutting edge,” Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO, said in the release. “Under her leadership, ABA’s Office of Innovation will continue its important work of not only identifying the technologies that will shape the future of banking, but also the policies needed to allow banks to efficiently utilize those technologies and spur additional innovation."

Ybarra joined the association last September as vice president of innovation strategy. Prior to that, she was a senior director in global quality at Marriott International, served as a consultant with Accenture and worked at the CIA as a program manager and analyst.