The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Rebecca J. Olsen has been named chief counsel in its Office of Municipal Securities.
Ms. Olsen joined the Office of Municipal Securities in 2013, where she made notable contributions to the municipal advisor registration rulemaking project, reviewed Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) rulemaking, and consulted with the Division of Enforcement on municipal securities enforcement matters. Previously, Ms. Olsen spent more than 10 years at Ballard Spahr LLP, where she practiced primarily in the municipal securities area.
In her new role, Ms. Olsen will oversee analysis of legal issues that arise in the Office of Municipal Securities. Her responsibilities will include review of MSRB rulemaking and analysis of disclosure policy issues. In addition, Ms. Olsen will continue to serve as the office´s liaison to the Division of Enforcement´s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit and to provide legal advice on enforcement efforts.
Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC established a standalone Office of Municipal Securities to administer SEC rules on practices of broker-dealers, municipal advisors, investors, and issuers in the municipal securities area and to coordinate with the MSRB on rulemaking and enforcement actions. The Office of Municipal Securities advises the Commission and other SEC offices on policy matters, enforcement, and other issues affecting the municipal securities market and oversees MSRB rulemaking and the SEC´s municipal advisor registration program.
"Rebecca Olsen is a very talented municipal securities law expert with extensive experience in municipal securities transactions, whose intellectual curiosity and infectious enthusiasm have enhanced the Office of Municipal Securities," said John J. Cross III, director of the Office of Municipal Securities. "Rebecca will bring invaluable perspective as we move forward in addressing current legal issues that arise in an evolving regulatory framework for the municipal securities market."
Ms. Olsen received her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from Boston College, her J.D. degree from Georgetown University, and her LLM degree in International Business Law, summa cum laude, from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam