SEC Commissioner Peirce Departs for Law School Gig
Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester Peirce is leaving the agency this year to join the Regent University School of Law as an associate professor.
Peirce will join Regent Law in November, the university announced on May 19.
Peirce, who joined the SEC in 2018 under the first Trump Administration, was renominated in 2020 to serve a second term.
In her role, Peirce has been a staunch advocate for softened cryptocurrency regulation, so much so that she earned the nickname “crypto mom” among the industry. She regularly argued against strict directives for digital assets and supported expanding alternative investments to institutional and retail investors. Peirce believed that stern regulation under former administrative officials, although well-intentioned, could deprive investors of future earnings.
She was also appointed head of the SEC’s Crypto Task Forice in January 2025, where she was responsible for leading a major shift in the agency’s attitude toward crypto regulation.
Prior to joining the SEC, Peirce served as senior counsel on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and worked as a senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, where she conducted research on financial markets. Before that, she served as counsel to Paul Atkins, now chairman of the SEC, and as staff attorney in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management.
She earned her juris doctor degree from Yale Law School and her bachelor’s degree in economics from Case Western Reserve University.
The SEC is generally made up of five commissioners nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Commissioners are made up of both parties in order to guarantee neutrality.
While Peirce’s term expired in June 2025, U.S. law permits commissioners to stay in their role for 18 months following expiration or once a successor is named.
Her departure creates questions on the agency’s future, especially following the parting of former Commissioners Caroline Crenshaw and Jaime Lizárraga. Today, the agency consists of Chairman Atkins, Commissioner Mark Uyeda, and Peirce, with no Democratic-appointed commissioners remaining.
Amanda Umpierrez is the Managing Editor of 401(k) Specialist magazine. She is a financial services reporter with nearly a decade of experience and a passion for telling stories and reporting news.