The SEC has appointed Tracey L. McNeil to be the agency’s first ombudsman, a position created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, officials say.
McNeil, who will assume her new post on Sept. 22, will be responsible for establishing safeguards to maintain the confidentiality of communications with investors, SEC officials say.
In her new role, she will also “act as a liaison in resolving problems that retail investors may have with the Commission or self-regulatory organizations,” SEC officials say. She will report to Rick Fleming, the first head of the SEC’s Office of the Investor Advocate, an office created by the Dodd-Frank Act.
“Investors will soon discover that Tracey McNeil is a person who cares deeply about their concerns,” says Fleming in a statement. “In addition, her strong securities law background, solid legal and analytical skills, sound judgment, and well-established relationships with other offices and stakeholders will serve us well as we move forward in fulfilling our statutory mandate.”
McNeil is currently a senior counsel in the SEC’s Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI), an office also created by the Dodd-Frank Act. In her current role, McNeil has advised the director of OMWI in establishing the office and worked to ensure the inclusion of women and minorities in the agency’s business and activities.
Before joining the SEC, McNeil was an associate on the structured finance team and Hunton & Williams LLP and counsel in the U.S. businesses group at MetLife.
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