Kimberly Hamm, Chief Counsel to SEC Chairman, to Conclude Tenure

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Kimberly Hamm, Chief Counsel to the Chairman, will conclude her tenure at the agency in the coming weeks.

Ms. Hamm joined the SEC in April 2019 and was named Chief Counsel to Chairman Jay Clayton in August 2019. Ms. Hamm served as principal legal advisor to Chairman Clayton on the SEC's regulatory initiatives and rulemaking agenda and as a senior advisor to Chairman Clayton on cross-border regulatory activities, oversight of self-regulatory organizations, significant market events, and Commission operations and procedures, including by playing an integral role in the agency's response to the economic and market effects of COVID-19. Ms. Hamm coordinated the efforts of staff across the agency and worked closely with the policy divisions and offices within the SEC as well as the Office of the General Counsel.  As Chief Counsel, Ms. Hamm also served as a Deputy representative to the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

"Kim has an unparalleled ability to bring people together across the Commission to facilitate important regulatory reforms through effective collaboration and decision-making," said SEC Acting Chairman Elad Roisman. "Kim's tireless efforts and dedication to our mission led to numerous policy and operational improvements that will have a lasting impact on investors and the marketplace, as well as the operations of the agency."

"It has been an extraordinary privilege to work alongside the talented and mission-focused staff of the Commission in service to American investors," said Ms. Hamm. "I am grateful to Chairman Clayton for his leadership and the opportunity to serve at the Commission. I am also thankful for the leadership of Acting Chairman Elad Roisman and the collaboration and collegiality of the Commissioners and their staff in overseeing our nation’s securities markets."

During Ms. Hamm's tenure as Chief Counsel, the SEC issued more than 45 final rules across the agency's divisions and offices during a historically productive rulemaking period. These initiatives included improvements to the securities offering process, updates to public company disclosure requirements, enhancements to the shareholder engagement process, improvements to the asset management regulatory framework, key modernizations to market structure, enhanced disclosures and protections for retail investors in the OTC market, expanding and improving the framework for regulating cross-border security-based swaps, adding efficiency and transparency to the whistleblower program, and emergency relief as a result of the impacts of COVID-19.  More detail on the scope of the Commission's work during the tenure of Chairman Clayton is available here.

Before joining the SEC, Ms. Hamm served as Associate General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives where she advised congressional committees on all aspects of congressional investigations and oversight, including representing House committees in litigation arising out of oversight activities.  She also provided legal advice, as well as representation in litigated matters, to House Members, officers and staff on a wide range of issues involving official activities.  Prior to her government service, Ms. Hamm practiced law in the New York and London offices of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she advised clients on securities, compliance, antitrust, insurance, regulatory, and internal investigation matters.

Ms. Hamm received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in economics and history from the University of Florida.