Louisiana Governor's Office issued the following announcement on Dec. 11.
Gov. John Bel Edwards today congratulated John Ducrest, the former Commissioner of the Office of Financial Institutions on his retirement after 35 years of service to the state, at the start of December. Deputy Commissioner Christine Kirkland will serve as the acting commissioner.
“After 35 years of service with the Office of Financial Institutions, including sixteen as its commissioner, and having served under three governors, John Ducrest is deserving of a relaxing retirement,” Gov. Edwards said. “I appreciate his commitment to the financial institutions of Louisiana and the wealth of knowledge and experience he brought to the post, which the office will certainly miss. I also appreciate Deputy Commissioner Kirkland bringing her ten years of experience with the office to her role as acting commissioner.”
About Retired Commissioner John Ducrest
After 35 years of service with the Office of Financial Institutions, sixteen of which were spent serving in the capacity of Commissioner, Commissioner John Ducrest retired effective December 3, 2020. Commissioner Ducrest began his career as a Financial Examiner conducting safety and soundness examinations of financial institutions. In 1994, he was promoted to Deputy Chief Examiner.
On June 8, 2004, he was appointed Commissioner by the late former Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. He then served two terms under former Governor Bobby Jindal. His retirement comes during his second term under Governor John Bel Edwards.
During his tenure as Commissioner, he served in various leadership roles on the national level, including Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), State Banking Representative on the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), Chairman of the State Regulatory Registry (SRR), and member of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC).
About Deputy Commissioner Christine Kirkland
Deputy Commissioner Christine Kirkland will serve as Acting Commissioner until a new Commissioner is appointed. Acting Commissioner Kirkland has been with the Office of Financial Institutions for ten years. She has served as Deputy Commissioner under Commissioner Ducrest for the last six years. In her role as Deputy Commissioner, she has been responsible for the direct oversight of all areas of the Office - Depository, Nondepository, Securities, and Administration.
Prior to serving as Deputy Commissioner, she served four years as Internal Auditor for the Office. As Internal Auditor, she obtained knowledge about all operations of the Office, allowing her to easily transition to her role as Deputy Commissioner. Before her time with the Office of Financial Institutions, she served as a Financial Auditor for ten years for the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. While at the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, she gained insight into the operations of state government through her many auditing assignments of state government agencies and programs. This experience allowed her to easily transition into her roles at the Office of Financial Institutions.
Acting Commissioner Kirkland is a 1986 graduate of Nicholls State University, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She also holds a Master of Accounting degree with a specialization in Internal Audit from Louisiana State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.
Original source can be found here.