Statement Summary
The SEC has announced the retirement of Ken Johnson, its Chief Operating Officer since December 2017, who will step down in December. Chairman Paul S. Atkins praised Johnson for his two decades of dedicated service and integral leadership, highlighting his contributions to the agency’s operations and administrative functions. Johnson oversaw vital offices including Human Resources, Financial Management, and Information Technology, assisting the SEC in its mission to protect investors and maintain market integrity. He previously served as the SEC’s chief financial officer and has a strong academic background with degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Original Statement
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Ken Johnson, who has been serving as Chief Operating Officer (COO) since December 2017, will retire from the agency in December.
“Ken has been an integral leader at the SEC for more than two decades,” said Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “I have had the pleasure of knowing him both as a Commissioner and now as Chairman. He has served this agency and the country with ultimate integrity, furthering our mission with his adept oversight of SEC operations and administrative functions. I will certainly miss his wise counsel and wish him the very best in his next pursuits.”
As COO, Mr. Johnson has overseen the SEC’s operational and administrative functions, including the agency’s Office of Human Resources; Office of Acquisitions; Office of Financial Management; Office of Information Technology; EDGAR Business Office; Office of the Chief Data Officer; and Office of Support Operations, which includes the agency’s Freedom of Information Act, Records Management, and Facilities Management functions.
“I want to thank Chairman Atkins, the Commissioners, and so many friends and colleagues over the years,” said Mr. Johnson. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to work with the exceptional staff of the SEC. I also want to extend a special appreciation to the Commission’s operational and administrative professionals, who work skillfully behind the scenes to make sure the agency can continue its critical work on behalf of investors and our markets.”
In addition to his time serving as COO, Mr. Johnson served as the SEC’s chief financial officer from 2010 to 2017 and as a management analyst and chief management analyst between 2003 and 2010. Mr. Johnson came to the SEC in 2003 from the Congressional Budget Office.
Mr. Johnson received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and earned his master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
