David Woodcock will assume the position on May 4. Until then, Sam Waldon will continue to serve as the acting head of the division. Woodcock is a partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher, where he led the securities enforcement practice group. From 2011 to 2015, David headed the SEC's regional office in Fort Worth, Texas, overseeing investigations across nearly all major areas. Woodcock also served on the Enforcement Advisory Committee and additionally founded and led the SEC’s inter-agency task force on financial reporting and auditing. Woodcock will lead a team of 1,000 specialists. He highlighted his commitment to implementing SEC Chairman Paul Atkins’s vision. The previous head of the division, Margaret Ryan, left her position following a conflict with Atkins. This conflict was related to cases against Trump allies Elon Musk and Justin Sun. Democratic senators plan to call the SEC chairman for a hearing to clarify the situation.