The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointment of Liban Jama as director of the Atlanta Regional Office, where he will oversee enforcement and examinations in a region covering five states.

Mr. Jama currently serves as senior advisor to SEC Chair Mary Jo White, and before that he served as counsel to Commissioner Luis Aguilar.  In those capacities, he provided advice and counsel on many major regulatory and enforcement matters before the Commission.  

From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Jama served as senior counsel in the Enforcement Division, where he handled enforcement investigations in a variety of areas ranging from insider trading to disclosure fraud, and was a member of the division’s specialized unit devoted to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  

“Liban’s broad based experience in enforcement and market regulation has allowed him to play a key role in the Commission’s policy and rulemaking process,” said SEC Chair Mary Jo White.  “His consensus-building expertise and sound judgment have been instrumental in the adoption of a number of significant rules, including rules involving cross-border security-based swaps, financial responsibility rules for broker-dealers, and the registration of municipal advisors.”

“Liban’s deep knowledge of the securities laws and wide-ranging experience within the Commission, position him perfectly to lead our Atlanta office’s enforcement efforts,” said Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.  “We look forward to continued success from that office under his leadership.”

“Having held various positions in the Commission allows Liban to bring a wealth of expertise to the examination program,” said Andrew J. Bowden, Director of the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE).  “His focused and detailed-oriented approach to handling matters will make him a valuable asset to the program.”

Mr. Jama said, “It is an honor and a privilege to join the staff of the Atlanta Regional Office.  I have a deep respect for the tremendous work of both the examination and enforcement staff, and I look forward to working with them to help carry out the Commission’s mandate to protect investors. ”

Mr. Jama received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.  Before coming to the SEC, Mr. Jama was a corporate and securities attorney in private practice.

Mr. Jama succeeds Rhea Kemble Dignam, who announced last May that she has accepted a position as the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations’ National Exam Program’s senior counsel.