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Margaret Ryan is new SEC enforcement chief

SEC crest on SEC building
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Replacement for Sam Walden comes from military legal background, bucking the trend of previous appointments.

The SEC appointed Judge Margaret “Meg” Ryan as the agency’s new Director of the Division of Enforcement, effective September 2, 2025. She will succeed Sam Waldon, who has served as Acting Director since January and who will return to his previous position as the agency’s Chief Counsel.

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