Ascendant’s Jackie Hallihan Honored at NSCP 30th Anniversary Celebration
On October 16, hundreds gathered at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington D.C. to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the National Society of Compliance Professionals (NSCP), which was founded in 1987 by Ascendant Partner Jackie Hallihan.
NSCP is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing resources and support to compliance professionals in the financial services industry throughout the U.S. and Canada. Since its inception, NSCP has grown to overs 2000 members and offers a platform for information exchange, continuing education and networking opportunities for its members both virtually and in-person through regular roundtables, meetings and conferences.
Ascendant partner Jackie Hallihan
Jackie’s road to the compliance industry and establishing NSCP began in a role she took for a broker-dealer in the early 1980s. She recounted how she noticed the firm was receiving a number of letters from state regulators that everyone else seemed to ignore.
“I took it upon myself to read them and understand them,” she recalled. “Through that experience, I understood what an enormous need there was for resources for compliance professionals.”
This recognition led her to found her own company in 1984, National Regulatory Services, which started the compliance resource industry and where she would serve as President for two decades, and then to found NSCP in 1987 with the assistance of her colleague, Joan Hinchman. Jackie sought to create “a forum for compliance professionals to exchange information, develop a community and find a shared voice.” In 2006, Jackie would go on to co-found Ascendant Compliance Management with other prominent industry leaders.
“Jackie’s founding of NSCP was truly ahead of its time,” notes Ascendant CEO, Jon Higgins. “This was in 1987 – so, before the Compliance Program Rule, before the Code of Ethics Rule, before the Custody Rule. She saw the need and through grit and determination, laid the foundation for an entire industry. I’m proud to have partnered with her to co-found Ascendant Compliance Management.”
Earlier in the conference, Jackie served as a panelist on the Women in Compliance Roundtable, alongside fellow Ascendant Partner Korrine Kohm, Chief Compliance Officer of Landmark Partners, Annie Lazarus and Vice President of Compliance at Prudential, Tracey Abbott. When the panel was asked what advice they would give a young woman today, Jackie’s entrepreneurial spirit shone through in her answer: “Never be afraid to fail,” she responded.
Congratulations to the National Society of Compliance Professionals on 30 successful years, and thank you to Jackie Hallihan for her many contributions to the compliance profession.
For more information regarding NSCP membership, please visit their website.