The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced today (Sept. 10) six new members—including an associate professor from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law—to fill vacancies on its Investor Advisory Committee.
Prof. Alvin Velazquez, who joined the Indiana Law faculty this summer, is one of only two members of academia newly appointed to the committee. The committee advises the SEC on regulatory priorities and initiatives to protect investors and promote the integrity of the U.S. securities markets.
It was established under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010.
“The new members bring valuable experience to the Investor Advisory Committee,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “I thank each of them for their willingness to serve, providing the Commission with important perspectives on behalf of investors.
Velazquez will serve a four-year term on the committee, which includes leaders from the legal, business, public policy, and government communities.
“Prof. Velazquez has been an amazing addition to our faculty, and I know he’ll be an outstanding addition to the SEC Investor Advisory Committee,” said Christiana Ochoa, dean of the Maurer School of Law. “His scholarship on and deep knowledge of our evolving economy position him well to advise the SEC.”
Velazquez writes and teaches at the intersection of labor, bankruptcy law, and corporate law. His scholarship focuses on how organized labor adapts to the changing nature of the economy and the workplace.
Specifically, his research provides insights into the roles that labor unions can have in the governance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, bankruptcy practice, corporate governance, and the agencies that regulate them.
Prior to arriving at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Velazquez was an associate general counsel at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), where his practice focused on corporate governance, public sector bankruptcy, and emerging technologies. During his career at SEIU, Velazquez served as chair of the Unsecured Creditors Committee for the Puerto Rico bankruptcy. He also testified before Congress, provided numerous Congressional briefings, and has had extensive experience advocating before various administrative agencies.
Velazquez is the second faculty member with ties to Indiana Law to join the advisory committee. Prof. Gina-Gail Fletcher, now at Duke University School of Law, was a member of the Maurer faculty from 2014-2020.