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Gary Gensler Announces Additions to Executive Staff
Washington D.C.–(Newsfile Corp. – June 8, 2021) – The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointments of Amanda Fischer, Lisa Helvin, Tejal D. Shah, Angelica Annino, Liz Bloom, Basmah Nada, and Jahvonta Mason as members of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s executive staff.
“I had the honor to work closely with Amanda during the Biden-Harris transition, and her counsel during my confirmation process was invaluable. I’m delighted she’s joined the team,” said Chair Gensler.
“I’m excited to work closely with Amanda, Lisa, Tejal, Angelica, Liz, Basmah, and Jahvonta on priorities essential to the mission of the SEC,” added Gensler. “These exceptional individuals provide well-rounded and diverse experience from across multiple sectors, and I will rely on the counsel and support in rulemaking, enforcement, and communicating our work to the public.”
Amanda Fischer
Senior Counselor
Amanda Fischer serves as Senior Counselor to Chair Gensler and advises on SEC rulemakings and interagency work. Immediately before joining the SEC, she was the Policy Director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a non-partisan research organization focused on economic policy. Earlier in her career, she worked for more than a decade on Capitol Hill in roles related to financial services policymaking, including as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Katie Porter, Professional Staff on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, as a Policy Advisor for Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, and as Deputy Staff Director for the House Committee on Financial Services. She graduated with a bachelor’s degrees in business administration and public policy from the University at Buffalo and an M.A. in public policy from Georgetown University.
Lisa Helvin
Legal Counsel
Lisa Helvin serves as Chair Gensler’s principal legal advisor. She re-joined the SEC from the Office of General Counsel at the House of Representatives, where she served as Special Litigation Counsel. She previously served as Counsel to the General Counsel and a Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel’s Appellate Group at the SEC. Before joining the SEC, Ms. Helvin was an associate at Robbins, Russell, Englert, Orseck, & Untereiner LLP. She also served as a law clerk to the Hon. Diana Gribbon Motz of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She received a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and a B.A. from Yale University.
Tejal D. Shah
Enforcement Counsel
Tejal D. Shah serves as Chair Gensler’s principal advisor on matters involving the Division Enforcement. She joined the SEC in 2014 as a staff attorney in the New York Regional Office, where she conducted and led significant enforcement investigations and litigations. Prior to joining the SEC, she was an associate at the law firm of Cooley LLP. Ms. Shah received her J.D. from NYU School of Law and B.S. from Cornell University.
Angelica Annino
Director of Scheduling and Administration
Angelica Annino oversees day-to-day and strategic scheduling for Chair Gensler. Before joining the SEC, Ms. Annino worked in the United States Senate as Director of Scheduling for Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Doug Jones and Michael Bennet. Previously she served in several roles at the United States Department of Education as an appointee in the Obama Administration, working for Secretaries Arne Duncan and John King. Earlier in her career Ms. Annino was an elementary school teacher. She received her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University and M.A. from Pepperdine University.
Liz Bloom
Speechwriter to the Chair
Liz Bloom is responsible for drafting speeches, Congressional testimony, and other written materials on behalf of Chair Gensler. She recently graduated with a joint M.B.A./M.P.P. from Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, where she studied the intersection of business and public policy. Before that, she worked as a journalist at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she most recently covered baseball and previously wrote about classical music. She received an undergraduate degree in Social Studies from Harvard College.
Basmah Nada
Digital Director
Basmah Nada directs digital strategy for the SEC and Chair Gensler. Immediately before joining the SEC, she was the Marketing Director at a startup marketing agency where she helped nonprofit human rights organizations develop and execute digital strategies. She previously was the Post Production Manager on Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Senate Democratic Media Center and the House Democratic Caucus, where she helped members of Congress develop and expand their digital presence. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in International Studies and Political Science.
Jahvonta Mason
Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff
Jahvonta Mason will work with the Chair and his senior staff to help coordinate the policy process and assist with special projects. He is a 2021 graduate of New York University School of Law and a Kenneth and Kathy Chenault AnBryce Scholar. At NYU Law, Jahvonta served as Editor-in-Chief of the NYU Law Moot Court Board, an intern to the Hon. Jesse M. Furman in the Southern District of New York, and an intern at the Federal Defenders of New York. For his contributions to NYU Law, Jahvonta was honored with several awards at convocation: the Vanderbilt Medal, the Order of the Barristers, the Mark Brisman Moot Court Prize, and the Law Alumni of Color Association Calisha Myers 15 Memorial Award. Jahvonta received his B.A. in Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.