Nicole A. Elam, Esq. is the President and CEO of the National Bankers Association (NBA), the nation’s leading voice for minority depository institutions and the oldest trade association dedicated to Black and minority-owned banks. Appointed in 2021, Nicole is the youngest leader in the NBA’s history since its founding in 1927. Before joining NBA, she served as Vice President of Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase, where she led public policy strategy and national engagement efforts tied to the firm’s landmark $30 billion commitment to racial equity.

With more than 17 years of experience in public policy, law, and advocacy, Nicole has held leadership roles at ITT Educational Services, Ice Miller Strategies, and as an attorney at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, focusing on congressional investigations. She began her career in civil rights advocacy, serving as a law clerk at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and as communications director at the Black Leadership Forum. Nicole holds a J.D., cum laude, from Howard University School of Law, where she was editor of the law review, and a B.A. from DePauw University