SEC Appoints Erica Y. Williams to a Second Term as PCAOB Chairperson

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointment of Erica Y. Williams to a second term as Chairperson of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) beginning on Oct. 25, 2024, and running through Oct. 24, 2029.

“I thank Erica for her leadership and am pleased that she will continue to serve as Chairperson of the PCAOB,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “I also thank the PCAOB staff and the Board for their diligent work to ensure that public company financial disclosures can be trusted by investors.”

SEC Chief Accountant Paul Munter added, “I look forward to continuing to work with Chairperson Williams to further the PCAOB’s long-overdue plan to modernize standards and improve audit quality to promote investor protection.”

"I am honored to have Chair Gensler and the Commission's confidence and grateful for the opportunity to continue working alongside my fellow Board Members and the talented and dedicated PCAOB staff to protect investors," said Chair Williams. "I'm proud of our work together and eager to continue executing our mission on behalf of investors who depend on U.S. capital markets to build their American dream."

Prior to joining the PCAOB in January 2022, Erica Y. Williams was a litigation partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She previously spent more than a decade in various roles at the SEC, including as Deputy Chief of Staff to three former SEC Chairs and Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement trial unit. After leaving the SEC, Ms. Williams served as Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to President Barack Obama with a focus on financial and economic policy issues. Ms. Williams earned both a J.D. and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established the PCAOB to oversee the audits of public companies and registered broker-dealers through registration, standard-setting, inspection, and disciplinary programs. Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Board is subject to SEC oversight, including the selection of members of the Board.