Gov. Jay Inslee announced today that Charlie Clark is the new director of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. He takes over for Gloria Papiez, who is retiring.
"Charlie has extensive knowledge of DFI — its policies, people and financial and legal frameworks," Inslee said. "His work has already helped build DFI into one of the top financial education agencies in the nation, and I look forward to having him join my cabinet.
"Gloria’s years of service to this state have left an indelible mark on the financial services industry for the better. I am grateful for her service and leadership at DFI, as well as her long career in state government. I wish her the best in a well-deserved retirement."
DFI is a nationally-recognized leader in state financial education, which helped move the state from 17th in the nation to 10th on Washington's Corporation for Enterprise Development scorecard ranking in Financial Assets & Income.
Clark has worked with DFI for more than 14 years. He served in a variety of roles, from enforcement chief and program manager to director in the Consumer Services division. He was promoted to DFI’s agency deputy director in 2016.
Clark began his affiliation with DFI when he worked in the Office of the Attorney General where he provided the agency legal advice and representation. While there, he worked as an attorney team lead in the government compliance and enforcement division.
Before working in state government, Clark founded his own law firm in Issaquah and also practiced law in California.
Clark received his law degree from University of the Pacific in Sacramento, California. He received his master’s in business administration and a bachelor’s degree from California State University.