“New York is at the global crossroads of finance and innovation and we need both to meet the future now. Let’s partner together to restart the economy and build back better than ever before.”
Linda A. Lacewell, Superintendent of DFS
Matt Homer, Executive Deputy Superintendent
Matt leads the Research & Innovation Division, spearheading innovation strategy for DFS. He is a former U.S. Government civil servant with the FDIC and USAID, and previously was Head of Policy and Research at Quovo prior to its acquisition by Plaid. He has also served as an advisor to a variety of organizations on matters relating to digital innovation and financial inclusion.
Jon Blattmachr, Assistant Deputy Superintendent
Jon works on innovation policy with a focus on virtual currency, helping to protect New Yorkers while modernizing regulations in the space. Before coming to DFS, he was an attorney in private practice for 12 years in virtual currency, securities, and litigation and spent several years at UBS and Morgan Stanley as a private wealth management advisor.
Justin Friedman, Assistant Deputy Superintendent
Justin works on market-facing innovation and regulatory modernization at DFS. Previously, he co-founded a payments technology startup and served as a spokesman and policy advisor to the consumer finance industry. He began his career as a congressional aide during the 2008 Financial Crisis, where he contributed to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Seema Shah, Assistant Deputy Superintendent
Seema researches emerging tech-enabled strategies and tools, like machine-learning and artificial intelligence, and their impact on the evolving banking and insurance landscape, while developing and supporting the Division’s post-COVID innovation agenda. She previously led innovation efforts at LaGuardia Community College and worked for Mayor Michael Bloomberg on financial empowerment and tech sector development projects in NYC. Her urban strategy consultancy focuses on community-driven economic development.
Cici Matheny, Excelsior Fellow
Cici researches policy issues relating to financial services innovation and coordinates programs like DFS FastForward. Before joining DFS through the New York State Excelsior Service Fellowship, she completed her Masters of Public Administration at Baruch College after eight years working in youth development and college access at StreetSquash, a Harlem non-profit.