Statement Summary
Cristina Martin Firvida, the current Director of the Office of the Investor Advocate at the SEC, will conclude her role in January 2026. Since January 2023, she has spearheaded initiatives to address investor concerns, enhance investment product understanding, and improve retirement disclosures. Under her leadership, the office has conducted important research, including studies on registered index-linked annuities and evolving retail investing behaviors. SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins praised her contributions, emphasizing the importance of rigorous and responsive policymaking. Before her tenure at the SEC, Firvida held significant positions at AARP and the National Women’s Law Center, and she holds degrees from Yale and Cornell. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to advocate for investors during a transformative time in capital markets.
Original Statement
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Cristina Martin Firvida, who has served as the Director of the Office of the Investor Advocate since January 2023, will conclude her tenure with the agency at the end of January 2026. As the Investor Advocate, Ms. Martin Firvida has led an office that was established by Congress to identify, analyze, and address the concerns of investors, providing them a voice and ensuring their needs are reflected in decisions made at the SEC and elsewhere in the federal government and securities industry.
Under her leadership, the office conducted a significant research project to study registered index-linked annuities and investors’ understanding of these complex products, and advised the Commission on opportunities to improve disclosures for retirement investors. Ms. Martin Firvida also helped lead other data collection efforts within the office that identify real-time insights on evolving retail investing behavior and inform the Commission rulemaking process with evidence obtained from surveys and tests of the impacts of potential policy changes.
“Our work at the SEC should always be rigorous and responsive to the needs and interests of investors, and Cristina and her staff have provided important policymaking support to the Commission,“ said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “We wish her the best in her future endeavors and thank her for the contributions she made to our agency and investors as a whole.”
Ms. Martin Firvida said, “It has been a privilege to serve investors and the Commission in this role, and I thank the Chairman and the Commissioners for generously supporting and encouraging our work. I am grateful for the opportunity to spotlight investor aspirations and challenges by providing timely empirical research, expert legal analysis, and direct engagement during a period of rapid change in the capital markets. It has been an honor to work alongside the exceptional staff at the SEC, especially the dedicated experts in the Office of the Investor Advocate.”
Prior to serving as the Investor Advocate, Ms. Martin Firvida worked at AARP as vice president of financial security and livable communities for government affairs. She directed federal and state advocacy on pensions, retirement savings, Social Security, financial services, and other aspects of retirement financial security. She also managed AARP’s federal and state advocacy on housing, labor, telecommunications, and tax policy. Prior to joining AARP, Ms. Martin Firvida was director of government relations and senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center.
Ms. Martin Firvida earned her bachelor’s degree cum laude in philosophy from Yale University and her juris doctorate cum laude from Cornell Law School. She was a women’s law and public policy fellow at Georgetown University Law Center.
