Margaret Ryan
The Securities and Exchange Commission appointed Margaret Ryan as director of its Division of Enforcement, succeeding Acting Director Sam Waldon, who has been serving on an interim basis since January.
Ryan’s appointment is effective on September 2. Waldon will return to his prior role as chief counsel for the division of enforcement.
Ryan is currently a senior judge of the U.S. Armed Forces Court of Appeals, to which she was nominated in 2006 by former President George W. Bush.
She was previously a partner in Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP’s litigation and appellate practices and a litigation partner in Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP. She also served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and U.S. Circuit Judge Michael Luttig of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“I am thrilled to welcome Judge Ryan to the SEC,” SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in a statement. “She brings to the Commission decades of experience as a respected judge and practitioner of the law. She is fulfilling a critical role. Judge Ryan will lead the Division guided by Congress’ original intent: enforcing the securities laws, particularly as they relate to fraud and manipulation.”
Ryan earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Knox College and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School. At Notre Dame, Ryan attended the university’s Marine Corps law education program.
Ryan was previously a staff officer, company commander, platoon commander and operations officer in the Marine Corps. As a judge advocate, she served as trial counsel and chief trial counsel in Okinawa, Japan, and Quantico, Virginia.
“It is my honor to join the Commission as Director of the Division of Enforcement,” Ryan said in a statement. “I look forward to joining the Commission in its important work to ensure that the Division is true to the SEC’s mission in taking action on behalf of investors harmed by those who break the securities laws and providing an effective deterrent against fraudulent and manipulative activities in our financial markets.”
In a statement, the American Securities Association (ASA) applauded the appointment. ASA President and CEO Chris Iacovella, said “Judge Ryan has impeccable credentials, and we look forward to working with an honest, transparent, and highly respected practitioner of the law who will return the SEC’s Enforcement Division to objectively calling balls and strikes.”