The SEC recently announced appointments in its Investment Management Division and the retirement of a Chief Counsel. 

In Investment Management, ...  Robert Plaze was named Deputy Director, while Diane Blizzard was named Managing Executive.   As Deputy Director, Mr. Plaze will play an integral role in the Division's regulatory program under the Investment Company and Investment Advisers Acts of 1940.  This includes rulemaking, granting orders exempting entities from requirements of the Acts, and issuing interpretive positions under the Acts.  Mr. Plaze has been with the Division for more than 27 years, most recently as Associate Director for Regulatory Policy.  He's led numerous regulatory policy and rulemaking initiatives, and has engaged extensively with other financial regulators on behalf of the Commission on important and timely projects related to investment advisers and investment companies.

Ms. Blizzard has been appointed to the newly created position of Managing Executive of the Division.  Formerly the Senior Adviser to the Director with 11 years experience at the SEC, Ms. Blizzard will now be responsible for the overall management of all administrative, resource allocation, and strategic planning initiatives in the Division.  She'll also be responsible for assessing the effectiveness of the Division's work processes and overseeing business improvement projects to streamline workflow.

Ronald Crawford, SEC's first chief diversity official, ...  is retiring from public service after 31 years at the SEC;  he was appointed Chief Counsel for Diversity and Policy Initiatives in July 2009.  He's been responsible for planning and developing programs and initiatives that would implement the SEC's diversity policy, execute the SEC's strategic goals on diversity, and support the SEC's equal employment opportunity mission. 

Prior to his appointment as the SEC's senior diversity official, Mr. Crawford was the senior associate regional director for the SEC's Atlanta Regional Office and had supervisory responsibilities for enforcement, examinations, bankruptcy, and information technology programs.  He began his career at the SEC in 1980 as an Enforcement staff attorney and served in 3 regional offices.  During his assignments in the Enforcement Division, he supervised and played an important role in the resolution of numerous high-profile enforcement cases.  While serving as a branch chief in the Philadelphia Regional Office, Mr. Crawford taught corporate law as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business from 1985 to 1987.

For further details, go to:   [SEC PR 11-140, 7/1/11 - Crawford Announcement]   and   [SEC PR 11-142, 7/1/11 - Investment Mgmt Announcement]