Natasha Vij Greiner will be the next director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's division of investment management, the agency announced Feb. 28.
William Birdthistle, who has served as the division's director since December 2021, will leave the agency March 8, the SEC said in a news release. Greiner, currently the deputy director of the SEC's examinations division, will begin leading the investment management division on the same date.
Greiner began her SEC career in the examinations division as a broker-dealer examiner and has served in a variety of roles across the agency for more than 22 years, including acting chief counsel and assistant chief counsel in the division of trading and markets, where she provided legal and policy advice to the commission on rules affecting market participants and the operation of the securities markets, according to a news release.
"I have been fortunate to work with dedicated and talented staff across the agency during my SEC tenure and have a great respect for the staff and the work of the commission," Greiner said in the news release. "I look forward to bringing my unique perspective and experience to this new role and continuing to support the SEC's tripartite mission," which is to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation.
Upon Birdthistle's departure, he will rejoin the world of academia, the SEC said, though it did not specify where. Before joining the SEC in 2021, he was a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law.
"I am grateful to William for his service to the SEC and to the investing public," SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in the release. "William has overseen our work to strengthen oversight of investment companies and investment advisers — from data reporting to fund names to money market reforms. These reforms will help American investors save for homes, college and retirement."
