Gary Gensler

Gary Gensler (born October 18, 1957) is an American investment banker, academic, and government official who served as the 33rd Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from April 17, 2021, to January 20, 2025. He holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, earned in 1978 and 1979, respectively. Gensler's career spans private finance, public service, and education, marked by roles advancing financial oversight and market reforms.

Gensler began his professional career at Goldman Sachs in 1979, rising to partner in the mergers and acquisitions department, co-heading the finance division, and leading the media and technology group; he worked internationally in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London before departing in 1997. From 1997 to 2001, he served in the U.S. Treasury Department under President Clinton as Assistant Secretary for Financial Markets and then Under Secretary for Domestic Finance, contributing to policies on government debt issuance and financial stability. In 2002, he advised Senator Paul Sarbanes on the development of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which established enhanced corporate governance and auditing standards following accounting scandals.

Gary Gensler was born on October 18, 1957, in Baltimore, Maryland, the youngest of five children in a modest, middle-income Jewish family. His parents, Sam Gensler and Jane Gensler (née Tilles), did not attend college; Sam operated a small vending machine business, supplying pinball machines, cigarettes, and other items to local bars and restaurants, which exposed Gensler to basic financial concepts from an early age. The family resided in Brooklandville, a suburb of Baltimore.