November 22, 2024
SEC Chair Gary Gensler Departing Agency January 20th
Yesterday, the SEC announced that Gary Gensler — the Commission’s 33rd Chair — will step down effective on Inauguration Day (January 20th). As noted in the SEC’s press release, Chair Gensler led the agency through a robust rulemaking agenda that was focused on enhancing efficiency, resiliency, and integrity in our capital markets. The press release reviews a number of the Commission’s most significant accomplishments during Chair Gensler’s tenure — many of which he highlighted during his remarks at PLI’s 56th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation.
I particularly loved Chair Gensler’s commentary on public service that I shared in the blog on Monday. He reiterated in his press release that “the staff comprises true public servants. It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve with them on behalf of everyday Americans and ensure that our capital markets remain the best in the world.”
His bio at the end of the press release reminded me that his comments on the value of public service are especially noteworthy given his significant and varied experience in public service. In addition to his tenure as SEC Chair, he also served as Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, senior advisor to U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes in writing the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance and assistant secretary of the Treasury from 1997-2001.
– Meredith Ervine