FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    2000-104

       Mary B. Tokar, Senior Associate Chief Accountant in the
            Office of the Chief Accountant, To Leave SEC

     Washington, DC, July 28, 2000 -- Mary B. Tokar, Senior
Associate Chief Accountant, International, in the Securities and
Exchange Commission's Office of the Chief Accountant, announced
today that she is leaving the Commission to become a partner in the
accounting firm of KPMG.  Ms. Tokar will join KPMG's national office
in New York before transferring to the firm's international
accounting and reporting practice in London next year.  A successor
has not been named.

     SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt said, "Mary has played an important
role in the Commission's efforts to foster international accounting
standards and forge significant regulatory and accounting agreements
with our international counterparts.  Mary's wise counsel,
ambassadorial skills, unflappable demeanor, and wonderful spirit
have served me, the Commission, and investors well.  I wish her
great continued success."
     
     SEC Chief Accountant Lynn E. Turner said, "Mary has been one of
the most significant players contributing to the improvement of
financial reporting on a worldwide basis during  her tenure at the
SEC.  I will miss her wise and excellent counsel."

     Ms. Tokar joined the SEC in 1994 as a Professional Accounting
Fellow.  In 1996 she was appointed an Associate Chief Accountant;
she was promoted to Senior Associate Chief Accountant in September
1997.  Since 1999 she has served as the chair of the International
Organization of Securities Commission's (IOSCO) Working Party No. 1
on Multinational Disclosures and Accounting.  Ms. Tokar also has
been an observer member of the Board of the International Accounting
Standards Committee and of several of its steering committees.

     As chair of the IOSCO Working Party Ms. Tokar oversaw IOSCO's
assessment and report on the IASC core standards project, which was
approved by IOSCO's membership at its annual conference in May 2000.
She was active in a number of international initiatives both within
the Commission and with other U.S. government agencies, including
the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue.  She also assisted Chairman
Arthur Levitt in his role as chair of the IASC Nominating Committee.

     Ms. Tokar said, "Working at the SEC offered me unparalleled
opportunities to address important issues while drawing on the
resources of the incredibly talented and committed group of people
who make up the Commission and its staff.  For most of my career
I've worked with cross-border issuers coming to U.S. capital markets
and the last four years have been a unique opportunity to help shape
the future of international accounting and reporting in that
environment.  It's been a particular honor to have a leadership role
within IOSCO at a critical time and very satisfying to have been
part of IOSCO's significant accomplishments in this area."

     Ms. Tokar, 41, graduated from Williams College and earned an
MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business.
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