Want the latest retirement plan adviser news and insights? Sign up for PLANADVISER newsletters.
Sam Waldon
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday that Sam Waldon, principal deputy director of its Division of Enforcement, will leave the agency after serving more than 14 years.
Osman Nawaz, who will succeed Waldon as principal deputy director, rejoined the SEC in June, after previously serving with the agency from 2010 to 2024.
Waldon twice served as acting director of enforcement: from January to August 2025, when he was succeeded by former Director Margaret Ryan, and from March to May 2026, from Ryan’s resignation until current Director David Woodcock filled the role.
In a statement, Waldon said he was “forever grateful” to the SEC chairs and commissioners and added, “To my colleagues in the Division of Enforcement, I cannot put into words how proud I have been to have had the privilege of working with you. Over the last several years, I have had a front row seat to witness your hard work, talent and dedication under incredibly challenging circumstances—it has been nothing short of inspirational.”
From October 2024 to January 2025, Waldon served as acting deputy director of enforcement. He began his SEC career as a staff attorney in the enforcement division from 1996 to 1998. Later, he became the division’s assistant chief counsel from 2010 to 2018 and chief counsel from 2022 to 2024. Between those stints, Waldon was a partner in law firm Proskauer Rose LLP.
In a statement, Woodcock praised Waldon’s “work ethic and steadfast commitment to the Division of Enforcement.”
SEC Chair Paul Atkins added in his statement, “I have personally benefited from Sam’s wise counsel and appreciate everything he has done for our agency.”
Waldon earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Virginia Tech and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.
Nawaz, before he rejoined the SEC, was a partner in Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP, the same firm where Woodcock was also a partner from 2023 to 2026. Nawaz’s previous roles at the SEC Division of Enforcement include staff attorney, assistant regional director and chief of the complex financial instruments unit.