On November 18, Mary Jo White, the 31st and current Chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission, became the recipient of this year’s Fordham-Stein Prize. The Stein Prize is given in recognition of an individual whose work best exemplifies the highest standards of ethics and justice.
“Running the SEC is a demanding job; protecting the assets of investors is a noble calling,” said Dean Michael M. Martin, before presenting the award. “Mary Jo White evinces the steely reserve to enforce tough laws and the humbleness to serve the millions of Americans who invest their money in the markets.”
Listed this year as the 73rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, White has been a trailblazer for decades. After receiving degrees from both William & Mary and The New School for Social Research, she earned her law degree from Columbia Law School in 1974, where she also served as the Writing & Research Editor for the Columbia Law Review. White was the first woman to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, working from 1993 to 2002. During her tenure, she oversaw the prosecutions of John Gotti and the terrorists responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
White was nominated by President Barack Obama for the position of SEC Chairperson in January of 2013. She was sworn in on April 10, 2013.
Previous recipients of the Stein Prize include seven members of the U.S. Supreme Court, including Chief Justices William H. Rehnquist and Warren E. Burger as well as three lawyers who have served as Secretary of State.
