Washington, D.C., July 9, 2008 (LAWFUEL) – Elisse Barbara Walter was sworn in today as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Commissioner Walter, who was appointed by President George W. Bush on June 30, 2008, was sworn in by SEC Chairman Christopher Cox at a ceremony held at the SEC this morning that was attended by her husband, Ronald Alan Stern, as well as SEC senior officials, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) CEO Mary L. Schapiro and Non-Executive Chairman Richard G. Ketchum, and other senior FINRA officials. Following her swearing-in ceremony, Commissioner Walter participated in an SEC Roundtable on Fair Value Accounting Standards, where she joined other SEC Commissioners in a panel discussion that also included investors, preparers, auditors, and other regulators.
Commissioner Walter previously served on the SEC staff in the Office of the General Counsel and the Division of Corporation Finance from 1977 to 1994, ascending to the positions of Associate General Counsel and Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance. She earned such honors as the Presidential Rank Award (Distinguished), the SEC Chairman’s Award for Excellence, and the SEC’s Distinguished Service Award during her previous tenure at the SEC. Commissioner Walter also served as a senior official at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and FINRA.
“During her distinguished prior service at the SEC as well as in her extensive experience at the CFTC and FINRA, Elisse Walter has consistently demonstrated her steadfast commitment to safeguarding the interests of investors,” said Chairman Cox. “Her integrity, professionalism, and strong track record of investor education and advocacy make her superbly qualified to be a Commissioner. I look forward to working with her to tackle our ambitious agenda here at the SEC to further improve investor protection.”
Commissioner Walter said, “It is my great honor and privilege to join SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, my fellow Commissioners, and the Commission’s professional staff in serving our nation’s investors and capital markets. The SEC has a richly-deserved reputation as the crown jewel of independent agencies, and today the need for this great agency and its investor protection mission are apparent. I promise to do my utmost to live up to the awesome responsibility entrusted to me.”
Prior to being appointed an SEC Commissioner, Ms. Walter was Senior Executive Vice President, Regulatory Policy & Programs, at FINRA, where she coordinated policy issues across the organization and led its investor education efforts. Commissioner Walter also directed FINRA’s efforts to improve regulation in the sale of mutual funds and managed task forces that proposed significant rule and investor protection initiatives in these and other areas. She held the same position at NASD before its 2007 consolidation with NYSE Member Regulation.
Commissioner Walter also served as General Counsel of the CFTC, where she was responsible for litigation, drafting administrative decisions, legal advice, and drafting rules.
Commissioner Walter is a member of the Academy of Women Achievers of the YWCA of the City of New York and the inaugural class of the ABA’s DirectWomen Institute.
She served on the Boards of Trustees of the SEC Historical Society and of Jewish Women International. Commissioner Walter graduated from Yale University with a B.A., cum laude, in mathematics and received her J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
