Washington, D.C., May 12, 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William H. Donaldson today named Linda Chatman Thomsen as the Director of the Division of Enforcement. Thomsen has been at the Commission since 1995 and has served as the Division’s Deputy Director since 2002. Thomsen succeeds Stephen M. Cutler, who in April announced that he would leave the Commission.
“I am pleased that Linda has agreed to take on this new role at the Commission,” said Chairman Donaldson. “Linda is a highly accomplished attorney with a proven record of effective advocacy on behalf of the nation’s investors. The skills Linda has exhibited during her tenure at the Commission instill great confidence in her ability to lead this important division.”
Thomsen, 50, joined the Commission’s staff in 1995 as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel. In 1997, Thomsen was named Assistant Director of the Division of Enforcement, and in 2000, she became Associate Director of the division. She became Deputy Director in January 2002. During her tenure at the Commission, she has overseen the investigation and litigation of numerous cases. Among her current duties is oversight of the Commission’s ongoing Enron investigation.
“I am honored by this appointment and am committed to maintaining the traditions of excellence and fairness that have been hallmarks of the Commission’s enforcement program,” said Thomsen
Before joining the staff of the Commission, Thomsen was in private practice at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in Washington, D.C., and New York, and also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. In November 2004, she was identified by writers and editors of the Wall Street Journal as one of fifty “Women to Watch.” She received her A.B. from Smith College and her law degree from Harvard University.
