In Randall J. Fons’ oral history, he shares a unique perspective, having served in senior leadership positions at three regional SEC offices. Two of the regional offices at the time covered district offices that are now also regional offices.
Randy discusses a broad range of topics during his time at the Midwest Regional Office (now the Chicago Regional Office), Southeast Regional Office (now Miami Regional but also covering Atlanta), and Central Regional Office (now the Denver Regional Office but also at the time overseeing Salt Lake and Fort Worth District Offices).
Randy's SEC career is marked by significant milestones, one of which is the pivotal transition from a regionally developed to a nationally directed program for enforcement and exams
Under Randy's leadership, the staff of the Central Regional Office brought a number of high-profile enforcement actions.
His work covers external and internal gaps, including external coordination with NASD/FINRA, coordination with local USAOs, and internal coordination between investigative versus litigation staff and enforcement and exams.
Randy points out in his interview that the investigative staff needs to be involved in actual litigation, which is still relevant today, particularly when it comes to the incentives of the investigative staff to recommend enforcement actions.
One of Randy's most thought-provoking observations pertains to how the Commission and senior staff measure good enforcement results. He emphasized the quality of more complicated and impactful matters over the sheer number of cases, underscoring his commitment to excellence at the SEC.
Mr. Fons was the head of the SEC’S Central Regional Office from Aug. 2000 to March 2006. In this position, he was responsible for managing the enforcement and examination programs in Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.
Previously, Mr. Fons served as the Regional Director of the SEC’s Southeast Regional Office, in Miami, from 1997 to 2000.
Mr. Fons started his career at the SEC in 1988 in the Midwest Regional Office, where he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in the office’s enforcement program.
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