SEC Chief of Staff Lucas Moskowitz to Leave the Agency

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that SEC Chief of Staff Lucas Moskowitz will leave the agency in early August and will return to the private sector.

Mr. Moskowitz has served in various roles in the federal government for nearly a decade, including more than five years at the SEC. He was named Chief of Staff by Chairman Jay Clayton in May 2017.

As Chief of Staff, Mr. Moskowitz has served as Chairman Clayton's lead advisor and worked together with Commission staff on a broad range of matters including rulemaking and policy, enforcement, strategy, personnel, management, operations, communications, legislative affairs, and coordination with state and federal regulatory agencies.

"In the Spring of 2017, as I moved through the Senate confirmation process, it was emphasized to me by many, including Senators Shelby, Warner and Corker, how important it would be to have an effective Chief of Staff. They could not have been more correct and, over the past two plus years, the Commission could not have had a better Chief of Staff than Lucas Moskowitz," said Chairman Jay Clayton. "The combination of Lucas' breadth of knowledge and his pragmatic, mission-oriented approach to the many facets of our mandate have been invaluable to the Commission, our markets and our investors. It is with deep thanks and admiration that my colleagues and I wish Lucas all the best."

"It has been the experience of a lifetime to work for Chairman Clayton and alongside the dedicated professionals at the SEC in Washington and across our 11 regional offices," added Mr. Moskowitz. "It is a privilege to serve at the Commission, and I am truly grateful to Chairman Clayton for giving me the opportunity to be part of an extraordinary team that comes to work every day with the best interests of investors and the integrity of our capital markets front of mind."

During his time as the agency's Chief of Staff, Mr. Moskowitz has played a key leadership role and provided legal, policy, and strategic advice to the Chairman and Commission staff on the development of policies and rules designed to, among other things: (1) promote capital formation, particularly for small and emerging companies, through tailored regulation that preserves important investor protections and expands investment opportunities for retail investors in the public and private capital markets; (2) promote effective corporate governance for both issuers and shareholders; (3) enhance investor protections for Main Street investors when dealing with financial professionals, and preserve these investors' access in terms of choice and cost to the investment advice that is best for them; (4) improve the investor experience in and modernize the current regulatory framework governing the asset management industry; (5) enhance transparency, efficiency and fairness in U.S. equity markets and modernize regulatory approaches to fixed income trading; and (6) improve transparency and efficiency in the security-based swaps markets. Mr. Moskowitz has also played an active role advising the Chairman and working with leadership staff on enforcement and examination matters.

Mr. Moskowitz began his government service as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.  Before and after his clerkship, Mr. Moskowitz practiced securities law in the Washington, D.C. office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

Mr. Moskowitz first joined the Commission in 2010, serving as an attorney in the Division of Enforcement and, later, as a counsel to Commissioner Daniel Gallagher, advising him on enforcement matters and domestic and international policy issues and regulatory matters.

Following his initial tenure at the SEC, Mr. Moskowitz served as Chief Investigative Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where he led the Committee’s investigative and oversight activities in connection with a wide variety of banking, securities, housing, and insurance matters. Before joining the Senate Banking Committee staff, Mr. Moskowitz served as a counsel on the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he worked on legislative and oversight matters designed to strengthen U.S. capital markets and promote capital formation. Mr. Moskowitz was a managing director at Patomak Global Partners LLC prior to returning to the SEC as Chief of Staff.

Mr. Moskowitz earned his B.A. in Politics from Princeton University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.