SEC Tenure: 1991-2009. John Reed Stark rose through the SEC ranks to become the agency’s first and only Special Counsel for Internet Projects, and then the Founder and Chief of the SEC’s Office of Internet Enforcement. John led the SEC into the Internet era, and helped pioneer the notion of specialized SEC groups. John took the road less traveled and left the SEC to lead the Washington, D.C. office of Stroz Friedberg, a digital forensics and data breach response firm. Perhaps the most prolific author in SEC enforcement history, John has published 100+ articles while also teaching courses on securities regulation and cyber at Georgetown University Law Center and Duke University Law School. In 2015, John launched John Reed Stark Consulting, where he continues to work as an advocate for balanced SEC regulation in roles ranging from testifying before Congress, appearing on 60 Minutes, and writing op-ed pieces for the NYT and WSJ.
John is not only a remarkable motivator and an innovative thinker, but he also possesses an exceptional business acumen—qualities that positioned the SEC to proactively and confidently combat online fraud at the dawn of the Internet revolution.