On November 20, COINOTAG News reported that individuals close to the Trump transition team, as cited by Coindesk, are contemplating Teresa Goody Guillén, a partner at BakerHostetler and co-chair of its blockchain practice, as a prospective candidate for the next SEC chairman. Sources indicate that the transition team is advocating for comprehensive reform within the SEC, aiming to appoint a non-bureaucratic leader who is favorable towards cryptocurrency. This move seeks to dismantle the expanded division established during Gary Gensler’s leadership and to shift away from a regulatory stance defined primarily by enforcement actions. The Trump team is eager to find a candidate with a robust understanding of the crypto landscape, who would opt for regulatory restraint concerning digital assets until definitive legislative frameworks are developed by Congress.
Goody Guillén’s extensive background as a securities lawyer includes her tenure within the SEC as a member of the Office of General Counsel from 2009 to 2011, alongside her representation of both blockchain enterprises and traditional firms facing the agency. Additionally, other contenders for the SEC chair position include notable figures such as Robert Stebbins, Brad Bondi, Paul Atkins, Dan Gallagher, and Brian Brooks.