Commissioner Karima M. Woods
Karima M. Woods is the sixth Commissioner of the District of Columbia’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB). Mayor Muriel Bowser nominated Woods on January 21, 2020 and the Council of the District of Columbia unanimously confirmed the nomination on July 28, 2020.
In her role, Commissioner Woods serves as the chief financial services regulator for the District’s financial services industries, including insurance companies, captive insurance companies, investment advisors, securities broker dealers, mortgage loan originators, mortgage lenders and brokers, state-chartered banks, student loan servicers and money transmitters. The Commissioner is also responsible for managing financial empowerment and education programs that include the Opportunity Accounts Program, Financially Fit DC, and the Financial Empowerment Center. The Commissioner also administers the District’s access to capital programs pursuant to the Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative. In fiscal year 2025, the Commissioner oversees the Department’s $36.4 million budget, 152 employees and approximately $234 million in projected revenue.
Woods has over 20 years of experience in community and economic development with a focus on providing strategic leadership, organizational development, stakeholder engagement and global outreach to businesses and community organizations. Woods served in various leadership positions during her tenure with the District of Columbia government including Director of Business Development and Strategy, Deputy Director of Business Development, and International Business Manager. Her leadership has led to the successful execution of Mayor Bowser’s economic strategy and helped to drive the District’s business attraction and retention efforts across key business sectors.
Woods serves on several boards and commissions, including as Executive Board Member of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority, member of the Board of Directors of the Washington DC Economic Partnership, and member of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Special Committee on Race and Insurance and the Innovation Cybersecurity and Technology Committee.
Woods holds a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts in law and society from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Woods is married and lives with her husband and two daughters in Washington, DC.