Mary Jo White
Mary Jo White | |
|---|---|
| 31st Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | |
| In office April 10, 2013 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Elisse B. Walter |
| Succeeded by | Michael Piwowar (Acting) |
| United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office June 1993 – January 7, 2002 | |
| President | Bill Clinton George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Otto G. Obermaier |
| Succeeded by | James Comey |
| Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York | |
| In office December 1992 – June 1993 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Andrew J. Maloney |
| Succeeded by | Zachary W. Carter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 27, 1947 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | John White |
| Education | College of William & Mary (BA) The New School (MA) Columbia University (JD) |
Mary Jo White (born December 27, 1947) is an American attorney who served as the 31st chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from 2013 to 2017. She was the first woman to be the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, serving from 1993 to 2002. On January 24, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated White to replace Elisse B. Walter as Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She was confirmed by the Senate on April 8, 2013, and was sworn into office on April 10, 2013. In 2014, she was listed as the 73rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
On November 14, 2016, White announced she would step down from her SEC position at the end of the president's term. In her subsequent return to private practice she represented criminal defendants including Les Wexner, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, and the Sackler family, owners of opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma. She is now the Senior Chair at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City.