Diane Thompson Joins NCLC as Deputy Director and Chief Advocacy Officer 

April 2, 2025 — Press Release

Former senior advisor to director of CFPB returns to NCLC to head advocacy efforts  

BOSTON –  Accomplished consumer law advocate and mortgage lending expert Diane Thompson has joined the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) as Deputy Director and Chief Advocacy Officer. 

Thompson most recently served as senior advisor to the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where she helped lead a number of strategic initiatives. She had previously been of counsel at NCLC. 

“I am thrilled that Diane is returning to lead NCLC’s talented advocacy team,” said Richard Dubois, executive director of NCLC. “She is nationally recognized for her extraordinary legal mind as well as her deep commitment to improving the lives of people with low incomes. During this challenging time for consumers and the practice of consumer law, having Diane at the helm of NCLC’s advocacy efforts is a powerful asset in the fight for economic justice.” 

In addition to her work at the CFPB and NCLC, Thompson served on the Biden-Harris Agency Review Team for the CFPB in 2020. She founded the Consumer Rights Regulatory Engagement and Advocacy Project to increase inclusive and informed public engagement in regulatory work, and she served as an Open Society Foundations Leadership in Government Fellow. 

At NCLC, Thompson succeeds Carolyn Carter, who served as deputy director since 2016. Carter will remain at NCLC as senior attorney.

“NCLC’s work to ensure that all of us are treated fairly in the financial system has never been more important,” said Thompson. “I’m honored to return to NCLC at this pivotal time.” 

Thompson has contributed to NCLC’s publications as co-author of Truth in Lending and a contributing author to Mortgage Lending.

She began her career as a civil legal aid lawyer representing low-income homeowners and community groups in and around East St. Louis, Illinois. She is a graduate of New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden Scholar, and Cornell University.