Dr. Luisa Blanco Named Visiting Scholar at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Luisa Blanco, professor of public policy at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, was named Visiting Scholar at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Office of Consumer Education for the 2021-2022 academic year. 

In this role, Blanco will collaborate with the CFPB Office of Consumer Education and the Section of Financial Education in particular on racial and economic inclusion initiatives. Second-year master of public policy students Rosemary Gutierrez and Cruz Garcia will serve as graduate assistants alongside Blanco to assist with this work. 

“I am truly excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the CFPB on their current initiatives for furthering financial education with an equity approach. Through this work, I will bring into practice my research expertise to improve the financial well-being of minorities in the United States.

“Connecting policy research to policy implementation is the goal of our scholarship at the School of Public Policy,” noted dean Pete Peterson. “As a nationally respected expert on the impact of economic programs on particular racial and ethnic groups, I couldn’t be happier to see Dr. Blanco advise the work of the CFPB.”

Blanco will conduct a comprehensive literature review on the racial/gender disparities in financial knowledge and behavior. She will also write a paper on the social determinants of racial/gender disparities in financial knowledge and behavior.