USA: SEC Appoints Dr. Joshua T. White as Chief Economist
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Dr. Joshua T. White will return to the agency the week of Jan. 5, 2026, to serve as its Chief Economist and Director of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA). The appointment follows a period during which Robert Fisher has acted as chief economist.
Professional Background
Dr. White previously performed cost‑benefit analyses for SEC rulemaking from 2012 to 2018 while holding various positions within DERA, including financial economist, visiting academic scholar, and expert consultant. He has also served as an assistant professor of finance at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management and, earlier, at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
Recent Experience
For the past 18 months, Dr. White was on leave from Vanderbilt to work at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s Office of Economic and Risk Analysis, where he acted as a senior advisor before becoming acting chief economist in April.
Leadership Transition
Robert Fisher, who has been the SEC’s Acting Chief Economist since January, will continue to support the agency’s mission in DERA while Dr. White assumes the permanent role.
Academic Contributions
His research in corporate finance and governance has appeared in journals such as the Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Accounting and Economics, The Accounting Review, Review of Finance, and Review of Corporate Finance Studies. Dr. White holds a B.S., M.B.A., and Ph.D. in finance from the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business, where he received the Outstanding Ph.D. Alumnus Award.
Regulatory Emphasis
SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins said, “Josh is a well‑respected researcher and a true champion of rigorous economic analysis in regulatory policy, and his expertise in financial regulation and cryptocurrency makes him a tremendous fit to lead our efforts to ensure that high‑quality economic analysis continues to underpin SEC rulemaking.” Dr. White added, “I want to thank Chairman Atkins for this opportunity to come back to the SEC … to provide the type of thorough and unbiased economic analysis that the Commission needs to inform its rulemaking.”
Potential Impact
The appointment is expected to reinforce the SEC’s focus on integrating financial economics and data analytics into its rulemaking process, including assessments of costs and benefits related to emerging areas such as digital assets.
This report is based on information from SEC, licensed under Public Domain (U.S. Government Work). Source: Official U.S. Government release.
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