The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed William A. Birdthistle, currently a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, as director of its division of investment management. The division oversees regulatory policy for investment advisers and investment companies.
He replaces Sarah ten Siethoff who served as acting director.
Birdthistle joined the faculty at Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2006, and he earned the school’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2010. He also has served as a visiting professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School, where he won the Award for Teaching Excellence in 2019 for teaching securities regulation. His research has explored investment funds, securities regulation and corporate governance. Prior to academia, he practiced law at Ropes & Gray in Boston for five years.
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