Richard Best

Richard R. Best has served as the Director of the SEC’s Division of Examinations since May 2022 following a two-month period as its Acting Director.

Mr. Best joined the SEC in 2015 as the Regional Director in the agency’s Salt Lake Regional Office. He became the Regional Director of the Atlanta office in 2018 and then Regional Director of the New York office in 2020 prior to assuming the role of leading the Division of Examinations nationwide.

Prior to his arrival at the SEC, Mr. Best held supervisory, litigation, and investigative positions at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. He also spent approximately 10 years as a prosecutor in the Office of the Bronx County District Attorney, where he handled and supervised high-profile public integrity and organized crime prosecutions among other matters.

Mr. Best received a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York, College of Old Westbury, and a law degree from Howard University School of Law.