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Gary Gensler: Education, Career, and Accomplishments

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Updated February 14, 2025

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Gary Gensler was the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Nominated by President Joe Biden on Feb. 3, 2021, he was confirmed by the Senate on April 14, 2021.

Gensler was sworn into office on April 17, 2021 and served until the close of the Biden administration on Jan. 20, 2025.

Before heading the SEC, Gensler led President Biden’s transition team for financial industry oversight.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's mission is based on "protecting investors; maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitating capital formation” so as to build public trust in the market.

Key Takeaways

Gary Gensler was the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during the administration of President Joe Biden.
He has both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
He served as chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) under President Obama.
Gensler was a professor of the practice of global economics and management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Early Life and Education

Gensler was born on Oct. 18, 1957 in Baltimore, where he would later serve as chair of the Maryland Finan🥃cial 🔥Consumer Protection Commission.

He received an undergraduate degree in economics in 1978 and an MBA in 1979, both from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gensler began his career in 1979 at 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Goldman Sachs, where he became a partner in mergers and acquisitions and co-head of finance.

Government Service

D൲uring the Clinton administration, Gensler served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Underse꧑cretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance.

He was a senior advisor to U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes during the writing of the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Gensler served as chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 2009 to 2014 under President Obama, where he oversaw reforms of the $400 trillion swaps market.

His work with the CFTC gave him a reputation as a tough regulator.

Chair of the SEC

During his first year as chair of the SEC, Gensler addressed 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:cryptocurrency oversight, insider trading, share buybacks, money market funds, and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).

As SEC chair, he expanded the whistleblower program established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and C🌳onsumer⛎ Protection Act.

Watch

As SEC head, Gensler launched a video series, “Office Hours With Gary Gensler,” to engage everyday investors.

Return to MIT Sloan School of Management

Before Gensler took the top spot at the SEC in 2021, he was an MIT Sloan School of Management Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, co-director of MIT’s FinTech@CSAIL, and senior advisor to the MIT Media Lab Digital Currency Initiative.

As announced by the school on Jan. 27, 2025, he returned to MIT, again as Professor of the Practice in the Global Economics and Management Group.

In addition, Gensler will again serve as co-director of the FinTechAI@CSAIL initiative within MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Gensler received the MIT Sloan O🐲utstanding Teacher Award for the 2018–19 academic year.

Notable Accomplishments

Gensler is a recipient of both the Alexander Hamilton Award, the U.S. Treasury’s highest honor, and the 2014 Frankel Fiduciary Prize.

Did Gary Gensler Teach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)?

He was and is, as of Jan. 27, 2025. Before becoming SEC Commissioner, Gensler was a Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He was co-director of MIT’s Fintech@CSAIL and taught a course titled "Blockchain and Money."

What Bank Did Gary Gensler Work for?

Gensler worked at Goldman Sachs from 1979 to 1997. He was a partner in the Mergers & Acquisition Department, in charge of the company’s Media Group, spearheaded fixed income and currency trading in Asia, and was the co-head of finance, where he was responsible for Controller and Treasury efforts around the globe.

Who Is the Leader of the SEC?

As of Feb. 13, 2025, officially, there isn't one. On Dec. 4, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Paul Atkins to be the new chair of the SEC. As of February 2025, the confirmation process was expected to take several months. Atkins was SEC Commissioner from 2002 to 2008 under President George W. Bush.

The Bottom Line

Gary Gensler is viewed as a top financial regulator who was dedicated to advancing President Biden's agenda for aggressive oversight of the financial industry.

As a former professor at MIT, Gensler obtained a firsthand perspective of the function of cryptocurrencies and blockchain and is in favor of more oversight of the cryptocurrency industry.

Article Sources

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