Sheila Bair

What with subprime mortgages and collateralized-debt obligations, creativity in finance has gotten a bad rap. But Sheila Bair's combination of foresight, consistency, effective use of resources, and sensible ideas to secure the banking system looks pretty creative -- and significant -- to us. Plus, her accomplishments at the FDIC prove that stars don't have to be divas. -- by Zachary Wilson