Regulatory Agencies Just two days after being sworn in as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler has already named four senior staffers, one of whom could signal a pivot toward an activist SEC. After being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 14, Gensler was sworn in on April 17. His swearing in now shifts the power structure of the Commission back to three Democrats (Gensler, Allison Herren Lee and Caroline Crenshaw) to two Republicans (Hester Peirce and Elad Roisman). Allison Herren Lee had been serving as Acting Chair in the interim. The new chairman is expected to bring a strong enforcement focus to the Commission, along with a more progressive agenda. In announcing the appointment of his policy director, Gensler has given the nod to someone with strong ties to labor unions and public interest groups.