inSecurities Podcast Episode 130: On this episode of the inSecurities podcast, Chris and Kurt sit down with Erica Williams, Chair of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Chair Williams talks about her journey to the Chair’s office, the PCAOB’s rulemaking agenda, and the role of PCAOB inspections and enforcement. She also shares key takeaways from the PCAOB’s 2023 Annual Inspection Reports and a new staff Spotlight publication, which provides an overview of staff observations from the 2023 inspections. Finally, Chair Williams details steps the Board has taken to make the PCAOB a better place to work, and some of the items on her to-do list in her next term as Chair.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Erica Y. Williams
Erica Y. Williams was appointed as Chair of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) by the Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2021 and sworn in on January 10, 2022. She was reappointed in June 2024. Her current term expires on October 24, 2029.
Chair Williams joined the PCAOB from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she was a litigation partner. Previously, she was a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama, advising the president and his senior advisors on legal and constitutional issues involving economic policy, financial regulation and reform, financial technology, trade, intellectual property, and data protection and privacy.
Before that, Chair Williams spent 11 years at the SEC serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for three chairs. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of the SEC’s operations and served as a senior legal advisor to the SEC chair on regulatory policy and rulemakings, enforcement, compliance examinations, agency management, and strategy.
Earlier in her career, Chair Williams served as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement Trial Unit, where she investigated and litigated numerous complex, high-profile matters. Chair Williams earned both a J.D. and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
