Building the Agency

We’re recruiting summer interns for our Pathways Program again. If you’re interested in the mission of the CFPB, read the full posting to learn more and apply. The deadline is midnight on Wednesday, December 5. That’s tomorrow!

We’ve asked the Student Ambassadors, former CFPB interns, to share what inspired them to intern with the CFPB and why they’re serving as ambassadors after their service. Previously, we heard from Vanessa, Thomas, and Blythe. This is the last in the series, from Naiema.

Naiema Blanchard
School: University of North Carolina School of Law
Program: J.D. and LL.M.

I am a third year law student at the University of North Carolina and a candidate to earn an LL.M. in European Business Law from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. I have considerable experience in the banking and financial industry and it is my career goal to use the knowledge I gained as a result of my legal education and professional experience to work for a federal banking regulator. I was inspired to intern at the CFPB last summer because it gave me the specific experience I needed working for the federal government in the banking industry. I strongly believe in the agency’s mission to protect consumer interests in the financial sector. At the CFPB, students can use the experience to meet their future career goals.

If you’re interested in being part of the Pathways Program, you have until midnight, Wednesday, December 5, to apply. To learn more and apply, check out our full announcement.

Lindsay Bacon is the part of the Talent Acquisition team of the Office of Human Capital at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

We’re recruiting summer interns for our Pathways Program again. If you’re interested in the mission of the CFPB, read the full posting to learn more and apply. The deadline is midnight on Wednesday, December 5.

We’ve asked the Student Ambassadors, former CFPB interns, to share what inspired them to intern with the CFPB and why they’re serving as ambassadors after their service. Previously, we heard from Vanessa and Thomas. Now it’s Blythe’s turn.

Blythe Kennedy
School: University of Wisconsin School of Law
Program: J.D.

Working at the Consumer Law Clinic at my law school, and volunteering at a foreclosure help clinic, I knew firsthand how ordinary Americans were struggling as a result of the financial crisis, and knowing that there was an agency committed to helping these people gave me hope. When I was offered a summer internship at the CFPB I felt like I had won the lottery- how many people get their dream jobs? Even if it was only for a summer, I know that I was a part of something special. I would be honored to share my experiences with others and promote this fantastic agency, one that has not only done so much for Americans, but for me individually. I want to work for the CFPB, in any capacity, because I believe in what the agency is trying to accomplish. I admire its bravery, am continually inspired by its employees, and want to support its continued growth and success any way I can. Serve, Lead, Innovate: these are values worth promoting.

If you’re interested in being part of the Pathways Program, you have until midnight, Wednesday, December 5, to apply. To learn more and apply, check out our full announcement.

Lindsay Bacon is the part of the Talent Acquisition team of the Office of Human Capital at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

We’re recruiting summer interns for our Pathways Program again. If you’re interested in the mission of the CFPB, read the full posting to learn more and apply. The deadline is midnight on Wednesday, December 5.

We’ve asked the Student Ambassadors, former CFPB interns, to share what inspired them to intern with the CFPB and why they’re serving as ambassadors after their service. Previously we heard from Vanessa. Now it’s Thomas’s turn.

Thomas La Voy
School: Oberlin College
Program: Major in Politics and Economics

I am really glad I was able to intern at the CFPB this past summer. Before my internship, I’d been following the creation and development of the CFPB with interest, from seeing Elizabeth Warren on The Daily Show to sitting a row behind Richard Cordray during a House Government Oversight subcommittee hearing this past January. The CFPB represents a unique and exciting combination of purpose and circumstances. It has the energy and culture of a start-up, with the responsibility and goals of a federal agency designed to aid and protect those who need it. The people I met there were incredibly smart and driven, and I always felt that the whole Bureau was one team, working together. I want to tell others about my experience with this agency, about its potential, its people.

If you’re interested in being part of the Pathways Program, you have until midnight, Wednesday, December 5, to apply. To learn more and apply, check out our full announcement.

Lindsay Bacon is the part of the Talent Acquisition team of the Office of Human Capital at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

This post was updated to reflect the extended application deadline of Wednesday, December 5. Read more and apply!

It’s time to recruit summer interns for our Pathways Program again. If you’re interested in the mission of the CFPB, read the full posting to learn more and apply. The original deadline was midnight on Monday, December 3. We’ve extended it to Wednesday, December 5.

The Pathways Program is a ten week summer internship program for high potential students. Students assist in a variety of operational and mission-oriented projects. They receive on-the-job training in the technical aspects of the organization’s work. What assignments you get will vary with your interest, knowledge and academic background, along with the needs of the team.

As part of the Pathways Program, you will work directly with a seasoned member of our team and make a major impact on our mission. You’ll execute projects in fields that matters to you: technology, public relations, market research, reporting & analysis, legal/enforcement, or one of various other start-up initiatives.

The recruiting team is committed to finding new, talented individuals to help the CFPB meet its current and future strategic needs. As part of that effort, the Bureau is participating in the Partnership for Public Service’s Student Ambassadors program. We’re pleased to announce our inaugural class of ambassadors: Blythe Kennedy, Vanessa Megaw, Naiema Blachard, and Tommy LaVoy. These ambassadors know what they’re talking about, too: they’re our most recent summer interns!

We asked the student ambassadors to discuss what inspired them to intern at the CFPB and why they were interested in serving as an ambassador after their service. Between now and the time the announcement closes, we’ll share their stories. Today, Vanessa shares her thoughts:

Vanessa Megaw
School: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Program: Master’s degree in business

I love strategic planning and the development of best practices in mission-focused organizations. As a brand new agency, I thought interning at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would be a perfect opportunity to experience the development of government processes and develop a sense of “cutting edge” administration practices. Once there, I was extremely impressed and inspired by the ubiquitous enthusiasm for creating the “best” government agency model. I also learned a lot about inherent challenges in reaching those goals. I think that the Bureau offers one of the best opportunities in government for an intern. The hands-on opportunities, cross-departmental exposure, and daily thoughtful discussions make for an incredible learning environment. Also, the CFPB mission addresses one of the most controversial and pressing problems in modern-day society, and it is a great opportunity for students to feel like they are helping to improve the situation for the American people. The CFPB deserves interns who are thoughtful, intelligent, and driven to help in the effort to make “better government” a reality.

If you’re interested in being part of our summer internship program, you have until midnight, Wednesday, December 5, to apply. To learn more and apply, check out our full announcement.

Lindsay Bacon is the part of the Talent Acquisition team of the Office of Human Capital at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

This post was updated to reflect the extended application deadline of Wednesday, December 5. Read more and apply!

In my first blog post I wrote that part of our work in the Office of Financial Empowerment is connecting with people and organizations around the country that are building financial stability for low-income and other economically vulnerable Americans.

Last week, over 400 participants joined CFPB Director Richard Cordray, Division of Consumer Education and Engagement Associate Director Gail Hillebrand, and me for a conference call that marked our office’s formal launch. We were thrilled to have participants from a wide range of stakeholders in our work, including financial institutions, community-based organizations, social services, and local governments.

On the call, Director Cordray shared that one of the office’s key goals is to help empower consumers to better understand how different financial choices and products impact their financial lives and how to take control of their financial lives. He emphasized that the office will also work with others across the Bureau to help create protections in the marketplace for the most economically vulnerable consumers.

The Bureau’s resources and focus on consumer protection and empowerment place it in a unique position. We’ll use that position to develop tools for consumers and those who serve them, spotlight innovation and best practices, and engage with consumers who haven’t been well-served by their financial products.

All of this work will be informed by listening to organizations in the field. In fact, that outreach is crucial to the work’s success. We’ve already had conversations and visits with some of you. In those discussions we’ve heard what seem to us to be crucial, sensible lessons for addressing the financial challenges faced by low-income and other economically vulnerable people.

As we continue our outreach, we know that to reach consumers where they are, we need to identify the “touch points” where people are in contact with agencies and programs that deliver services and benefits. And as we find ways to work together, we can connect their clients to tools and resources that help them make the most of their money. Tools and resources to better enable consumers to choose financial products and services that help them reach their goals, not set them back.

As Director Cordray shared on the call, we cannot do this work alone. We approach our tasks with full appreciation and respect for the groundbreaking work organizations and institutions across the country have already done, and continue to do. I hope to work together to bring solutions to low-income and economically vulnerable consumers – solutions that are cost-effective, consumer-friendly, scalable, and sustainable both for consumers and providers. It’s not a small job, but it’s one we can achieve together.

Technology and innovation are fundamental to the ability of this 21st-century agency to achieve our consumer protection mission. That’s why we’re launching an outside-the-box technology hiring initiative – the Design+Technology Fellows program.

What is it? We’re asking the brightest, diverse, most amazing minds in graphic design, development and user experience (UX) to join us for two years, linking up with our divisions to create innovative products that will redefine how work gets done in consumer financial protection.

What it’s not? A program with dusty cubicles, stale ideas, tired ways of thinking, or roadblocks to creativity. We want designers and developers who are looking for the promise and exhilaration of a start-up with the ability to influence and directly impact consumers’ lives.

Here’s how it works:

• First, Fellows will IMMERSE themselves in all things CFPB at our DC headquarters to be introduced to the Bureau’s mission and the Technology & Innovation Team’s process. Fellows will then partner with a division to learn its particular priorities and technology needs.
• Next, Fellows will HUNKER DOWN in DC or remotely and let the creativity flow. From the location of their choosing, each Fellow will be in constant contact with their partners in the agency to create mission-specific technology solutions.
• Occasionally, the Fellows will REGROUP with partners in DC to broaden networks and collaborate in person.

During their time with the CFPB, Fellows will work on any number of projects on their own and with divisions throughout the Bureau:

• Produce visualization and analysis instruments with our Research, Markets, and Regulations team that distill complex data and impact decision-making, or create tools for our public website that translate complex issues into everyday language.
• Create new tools for our Supervision team with the hundreds of examiners across the country who monitor the practices of the nation’s largest consumer financial institutions.
• Develop solutions to consumers’ real problems through technology that enables our Consumer Response team to reach people in difficult financial situations.
• Design tools that enable millions of people to make informed financial choices with our Office of Consumer Education and Engagement.
• Construct a path to a more efficient and transparent government with our Chief Operating Officer by creating tools that streamline the work of the Bureau.

At CFPB, there is no such thing as business as usual. Our new cohort of Design+Technology Fellows will give us their top-notch skills and two years of their time; we’ll give them the chance to change the lives of consumers and affect how government uses technology. CFPB is an equal opportunity employer.

Want to help us build something awesome? Sign up here.