SEC Names Veteran Staffer to Lead Whistleblower Office
Nicole Creola Kelly has been with the agency more than two decades, most recently in the Office of the General Counsel.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed veteran staffer Nicole Creola Kelly as chief of its Office of the Whistleblower.
Kelly, who has been with the SEC for more than two decades, most recently was senior special counsel in the Office of the General Counsel. She also served as counsel to former SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White and former SEC Commissioner Kara M. Stein, and has had stints in the Enforcement Division’s Complex Financial Instruments Unit and whistleblower office.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work once again with the talented and dedicated staff of the Office of the Whistleblower,” Kelly said. “Over the course of my career, I have witnessed firsthand both the critical impact that whistleblowers can have on our investigations and the many sacrifices they make in shining light on misconduct.”
Gurbir S. Grewal, the SEC’s director of enforcement, said in a statement that Kelly’s extensive experience at the SEC makes her well-qualified to serve in her new role.
“The whistleblower program has been tremendously valuable, and I look forward to working with Cree on its continued success,” he said.
According to its 2020 report to Congress, the whistleblower program has distributed more than $500 million in whistleblower awards since its founding a decade earlier.
(Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)