The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday that Craig Lewis, chief economist and director of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis, will leave the agency effective immediately.
Lewis, 58, who has headed the division since May 2011, will return to his position as the Madison S. Wigginton professor of finance at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
He led a broad range of activities, including providing economic analysis to support SEC rulemaking and developing sophisticated analytical tools to assist in risk assessment and enforcement.
"Craig has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, judgment and vision during his tenure as chief economist," said SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White, in a statement. "Under Craig's direction, the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis has grown and thrived. I truly valued the insightful and thoughtful analysis he brought to every task. I will miss working with him and his wise counsel."
The SEC credits Lewis with "significantly enhancing" the development and use of analytical tools and models to assist the Division of Enforcement, the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, and other SEC divisions and offices, including in the detection of potentially illegal activities.
