User:Destiny Hartanto/Stephanie Avakian

Stephanie Avakian is an American lawyer, regulator and white collar criminal defense specialist appointed on June 8, 2017 to co-head the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Enforcement, a title she shares with Steven Peikin. The division is responsible for overseeing investigations into misconduct in the financial markets and brings civil suits against those who have committed fraud or other financial crimes.

Career
Avakian worked at the SEC from 1995 to 1999 as an investigator and counsel to former commissioner Paul Carey.

She later moved to private practice, joining Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, where she became vice chair of the firm’s securities practice. There, she represented financial institutions, public companies, boards, and individuals in matters before the SEC and other agencies.

In June 2014, Avakian returned to the SEC as Deputy Director of the Division of Enforcement. In that role, she was tasked with enforcing many of 2010 Dodd-Frank provisions put in place to police markets after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis.

She was named Acting Director of the division in December, 2016.

As co-chair of the division, she has cited cybercrime as one of the biggest threats to the financial markets and will have some latitude in setting enforcement and prosecution priorities for the agency.