I recently completed a two year visit at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). While at the Commission, I worked at the Office of Litigation Economics, which is, in turn, housed in the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (known as DERA, which houses most of the economists in the SEC).
I worked on a number of enforcement cases, typically helping enforcement attorneys with the economic aspects of various cases. A press release on the types of cases SEC Enforcement brought in 2024 can be found in this press release. Additionally, I helped review papers for the Conference on Financial Markets and Regulation (CFMR), an annual academic conference held at the SEC, and co-sponsored by several Universities.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I learnt a lot. From feedback I received from colleagues and supervisors at the Commission, I also gathered that the insights I brought from academia were valued as we helped Enforcement attorneys with their cases.
I am back full-time at the University of Alabama now and will continue my missions of teaching, research and service. I’m sure insights from my time at the Commission will also be useful in these missions.