SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce has submitted her formal resignation from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, effective October 2.
Pierce, also known as “Crypto Mom” in her advocacy of clear, rules-based regulation of the crypto industry, has been posted A copy of his resignation letter on his X account on Friday.
In the letter, he thanked the president for “the honor of his professional lifetime” serving as commissioner and said he was leaving the SEC under the excellent leadership of Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Ueda, the remaining two members, who are both Republicans.
Pierce served on the commission for about eight years. As of February 4, 2025, he was too director of the Organization’s Crypto Task Force. His term at the SEC officially expires in June 2025, but commissioners “may continue to serve approximately 18 months after the term expires if they are not replaced earlier,” according to the agency.
Pierce will join the law school as an associate professor
Cointelegraph reported in May that Pierce planned to join Virginia’s Regent University law school as an associate professor in November. Pearce is expected to help the law school strengthen its academic focus in a variety of areas, including federal litigation, securities regulation and digital assets, according to the university.
Pierce’s seat may not be filled immediately. Carolyn Crenshaw, the agency’s previous Democratic commissioner, left in January 18 months after her term ended, and President Donald Trump has not made a nomination to fill the seat.
Since Trump took office in January 2025, the SEC has made radical changes in crypto regulation and enforcement. The agency has dropped several enforcement actions and investigations, including into crypto companies linked to Trump and his family.
Related: SEC’s ‘Crypto Mom’ Calls for Easy Disclosure Rules, Flag Tokenization Controversy
Since its formation, the Crypto Task Force has been examining how existing securities laws should apply to digital assets and decentralized systems.
Cointelegraph reported in June that Pierce said software developers releasing open-source code should not be subject to federal securities regulations, amid a long-running debate over developer liability in decentralized finance.
Pierce’s comments are consistent with the SEC’s broader shift away from Atkins described As “regulations by implementation”.
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