The DFPI has hired Krista Christian and Dr. Paul Whiteley as Senior Researchers in the Market Monitoring, Consumer Research, Insight & Analytics Unit within the Consumer Financial Protection Division. These positions were created under the California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL). They will be responsible for monitoring CCFPL financial consumer products and services, performing complex research and data analytics, and playing an instrumental role in developing the research office.

Krista Christian comes from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where she was a Research Data Specialist II on the Research Oversight Committee within the Office of Research. She has a Master’s Degree in business from CSU East Bay and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business marketing from San Jose State University. With over 15 years of research experience, Krista brings her expertise in data management systems, data quality control, carrying out complex data analytics using SQL and SAS extracts, evaluating effectiveness, and collecting data.

Dr. Paul Whiteley comes from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as well, where he was a Research Data Specialist II in the Office of Research. Dr. Whiteley holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from UC Riverside, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University Fullerton. Dr. Whiteley brings more than 10 years of research experience using data analytic software and visualization tools to report findings for the California Department of Social Services, private sector, and academia.

Both Krista and Dr. Whiteley started on Jan. 18 and will be based out of the Sacramento DFPI office.