Jaime Lizárraga

Nominated by President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Commissioner Jaime Lizárraga was sworn into office on July 18, 2022.

Commissioner Lizárraga is an advocate for working families and is committed to elevating to the forefront the interests of our country’s estimated 150 million investors – in rulemakings, enforcement, and in every aspect of the Commission’s work.

Whether securing timely disclosures to investors of data breaches or cybersecurity incidents, or advancing a compromise on climate-related risk disclosures, he works collaboratively with his fellow Commissioners to deliver results for the investing public.

Commissioner Lizárraga strives for a level playing field for all market participants. His support for robust SEC enforcement is rooted in the basic principles that market integrity fosters investor confidence and that compliance with the federal securities laws strengthens our capital markets, protects investors, and promotes sustainable capital formation.

Commissioner Lizárraga sponsors the SEC’s African American Council and co-sponsors the SEC’s Hispanic and Latino Opportunity, Leadership, and Advocacy Committee.

Prior to becoming SEC Commissioner, he served as Senior Adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, overseeing financial markets, small business, housing, international finance, and immigration.  He also served as Speaker Pelosi’s Director of Member Services and liaison to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and to the Latino community.

Throughout his more than three decades in public service, Commissioner Lizárraga has advised congressional leaders and heads of executive agencies on policy and legislative strategy.  He has extensive experience working with the bicameral congressional leadership, House and Senate committees, administrations from both parties, and stakeholder groups in crafting and negotiating legislation. 

He played key roles in numerous successful legislative initiatives, including the Build Back Better Act, the American Rescue Plan, COVID relief legislation, omnibus appropriations bills, the Dream and Promise Act, debt restructuring for Puerto Rico, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, the Emergency Economic and Stabilization Act of 2008, and many others.

He previously served on the Democratic staff of the House Financial Services Committee and as a presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The son of immigrant farm workers from Mexico, Commissioner Lizárraga was born in California’s Central Valley and grew up in San Diego.

He earned a bachelor’s degree with high honors from the University of California San Diego, and a master's degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin.