Member Login
Search

Intro 

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary L. Schapiro 
Introduction of Former SEC Chairman Harvey L. Pitt 
Association of Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni 2011 Dinner
Washington, D.C.
February 4, 2011

Good evening and thank you.  It is such a pleasure to be here among friends and fellow alumni of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Let me first add my congratulations to tonight’s scholarship and writing competition winners.  Your work is outstanding, your commitment inspiring, and your futures are very, very bright.  Congratulations once again.

And thank you to ASECA and to the members whose commitment to education and support of excellence made these awards possible.   

My job tonight is a simple one.  I have been asked to introduce someone who quite literally – and, especially, before this group -- needs no introduction. 

• You already know that Harvey joined the SEC straight out of law school in 1968 and flew through the agency ranks until he became the agency’s youngest-ever general counsel.

• You know that he then spent almost a quarter century as a senior partner at Fried Frank, where he established a reputation as the “Zeus” of the securities bar.  And you know that he sometimes swooped down from Olympus to teach law and to found the SEC Historical Society.

• You know that, as SEC Chairman, he skillfully guided the financial markets back to full operations after September 11th, using his experience in and out of government to coordinate the effort by the SROs, the exchanges and other federal agencies to resume their roles as rapidly as possible. 

• You know that Harvey oversaw the adoption of dozens of rules in the wake of Sarbanes-Oxley, and significantly enhanced the Enforcement Division’s performance with the introduction of “real time enforcement.”

• And you know that he founded and heads his own global strategic business consulting firm, Kalorama Partners, a position that also affords him great visibility as an analyst and commentator on financial subjects for a wide variety of media and outlets. 

Harvey’s many achievements make him the perfect recipient of an award named after William O. Douglas, who – as SEC Chairman – was known as “the man who got things done.” 

One of the great things about my job is that, every now and again, I get a chance to spend time with Harvey comparing notes and seeking his counsel.  And if you spend even a short time with Harvey, you will understand that the SEC is like family to him.   He cares deeply about our mission – about the protection of investors, the integrity of our markets and ability of companies to raise capital to create jobs and grow our economy.

But it’s more than that.  Harvey cares about the people of the SEC.  He understands that this agency is its people.  He’s concerned that we not be overwhelmed by the task of implementing Dodd-Frank – which he understands from his experience with Sarbanes-Oxley.  He wants to see employees and alumni satisfied and rewarded by the path that we have chosen.  And he works actively to see that we get the support that we need to succeed.  

Harvey is someone with a tremendous number of friends, including scores, or maybe hundreds who are here tonight.

And being family means something special to Harvey.  As you might guess, someone as successful as he is a bit driven – and he demands a great deal from the people he works with.

But where so many people put their families on hold to take care of their careers, Harvey is different.  I have seen him step away from important meetings to take phone calls from his children, and he’s been known to tell his colleagues to do the same – even when they were meeting with him.

Harvey does the same thing for his SEC family.  He always finds time to take a phone call, offer public support, or to see that organizations like ASECA and the Historical Society flourish and thrive.  I know that I am grateful for the support he has given me.  And one of the great things about introducing Harvey tonight is having the opportunity to show my appreciation, personally and publicly, for everything he has done.

Thank you, Harvey.

Even in a room full of SEC alumni, I can think of nobody more committed to this family – to the health and success of the agency which we are so proud to have served.  And so it is a great pleasure to introduce a friend who richly deserves the recognition he receives tonight, the 2011 William O. Douglas Award, the 26th Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Harvey L. Pitt.