Allison Herren Lee was sworn into office as commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday after being nominated by President Donald Trump and unanimously backed by the Senate.
So, who is the new commissioner of the nation’s far-reaching securities regulator?
Lee is a Democrat who specializes in securities law, writing and lecturing around the world about corporate law and financial regulation. After seven years in private practice focusing on antitrust, securities and commercial litigation, Lee joined the SEC, where she has worked in various roles for the last 13 years.
For most of the time with the agency, Lee was an attorney with the SEC’s enforcement arm. After eight years, she was named counsel to former SEC Commissioner Kara Stein, who she will now replace since Stein stepped down in early 2019.
Most recently, she served as senior counsel in the Division of Enforcement’s Complex Financial Instruments Unit.
Currently, Lee is a consultant on corporate governance for Congress Park Consultants, a New York-based financial advisor firm that pledges to help clients develop a “transparent investment philosophy.”
Lee has also served as special assistant U.S. attorney and was a member of the American Bar Association’s former Committee on Public Company Disclosure. In addition, she participated in a project for the United States Agency for International Development to create comprehensive law for Armenia’s securities market.
Lee graduated from the University of Colorado, where she earned a business degree, before moving on to the University of Denver College of Law.
“Allison’s expertise in securities law, including from her prior tenure at the Commission, will be invaluable to our efforts to advance the interests of investors and our markets,” said SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. “Many of Allison’s former – and as of Monday, current – colleagues have expressed to me their support for Allison’s return. On behalf of all of my colleagues, Commissioners and and staff alike, I am pleased to welcome her back.”
