Joe Romano, president of Evanston-based Romano Wealth Management, has been named to the Board of Governors of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
He was appointed a small firm governor of FINRA, which is the independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States.
During his three-year term, Romano will help make decisions that affect 4,000 securities firms nationwide, as well as protect investors through efficient regulation and technology-based services.
Romano joins 28 other board members, including John Thiel, head of Merrill Lynch; John J. Brennan, former CEO of The Vanguard Group; Gregory J. Fleming, president of Morgan Stanley; and Seth H. Waugh, former CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas.
The Evanston resident’s election to the board has been a long time coming. Romano is following in his father’s footsteps. Richard Romano, founder of the firm, also served on the FINRA Board of Governors from 1985-1988 and 1999-2002.
Joe Romano has worked for his family business since 1995 and been president of the Illinois Securities Industry Association. He also served on the FINRA Small Advisory Board since 2011, and was its board chairman in 2015.
Romano Wealth Management manages more than $1 billion in assets.