After naming Kristina Littman as Chief of the Division of Enforcement’s Cyber Unit in December, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has introduced more fresh blood to its ranks. On Feb. 13, Nancy Sumption was announced as the successor to Kevin Zerrusen, the former Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity Policy to Chairman Jay Clayton.
Nancy Sumption has worked in cybersecurity and privacy in healthcare and finance in addition to her two decades of public service as an officer and staff judge advocate in the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. intelligence community, and the Department of Justice. In an SEC press release, Ms. Sumption stated:
"I look forward to working with [Chairman Clayton], the SEC staff, fellow regulators, and industry to deepen our partnerships to enhance operational resiliency and manage cyber risks."
What Nancy Sumption’s Appointment Means for SEC Policy
Ms. Sumption is not the only recent addition working in the U.S. government to better improve their understanding of crypto security. Andrew Ridenour was named as a senior counsel to the chairman Heath Tarbert, at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in Jul. 2019. Ridenour worked at the major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The SEC also hired a crypto expert in Apr. 2019, furthering the agency’s efforts to monitor and crack down on crypto criminals.
Hopefully, Ms. Sumption’s experience in cybersecurity will help enhance the SEC's mechanisms for assessing and responding to risks. She has been an avid supporter of opportunities to educate others on cybersecurity, data protection, and privacy.