Ali Higgs Named Deputy Director of the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

Olympia – The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) is pleased to announce Ali Higgs as the agency’s new Deputy Director.

“Ali brings a tremendous depth of knowledge to this new role, including an understanding of our industries, their regulation, and our operations,” DFI Director Charlie Clark said. “She also has a passion for consumer protection and serving the people of the State of Washington. We conducted a national search and found the best candidate within our own halls.”

Higgs most recently served as the Director of DFI’s Consumer Services Division, overseeing thousands of licensees and an ever-changing and consistently growing number of industries. Prior to that, she was DFI’s Director of Regulatory and Legal Affairs from 2021 to 2023. She began her career at DFI in 2002 as a bank regulator and has worked for DFI in several capacities in her more than 20-year tenure. Ali graduated from the Seattle University School of Law and has worked as a compliance consultant and adjunct professor.

“I’m honored to take on this new role at an agency I’ve dedicated a significant portion of my career to,” Higgs said. “DFI is a national leader in financial regulation and consumer protection. I look forward to continuing to support Washington’s financial services industries and keeping the people of Washington – and their money – safe.”

Higgs begins her new role July 16. She replaces Acting Deputy Director Bill Beatty who is retiring from DFI after 40 years of service in the agency’s Securities Division, more than 15 years of that time as the division’s director.