Hester M. Peirce was appointed by President Donald Trump to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was sworn in on January 11, 2018.

Prior to joining the Commission, Commissioner Peirce conducted research on the regulation of financial markets at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Before joining the Mercatus Center, Commissioner Peirce was a Senior Counsel on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where she counseled Ranking Member Richard Shelby and other members of the Committee on securities issues. From 2004 to 2008, Commissioner Peirce worked as counsel to SEC Commissioner Paul S. Atkins. Prior to that, she worked as a Staff Attorney in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management. Before working at the SEC, Commissioner Peirce was an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) and clerked for Judge Roger Andewelt on the Court of Federal Claims.

Commissioner Peirce earned her BA in Economics from Case Western Reserve University and her JD from Yale Law School.