Mr. Katz, an expert in securities regulation, is a consultant for Bowne & Co., Inc. Prior to that, he served as Secretary of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for almost twenty years, from 1986 until his retirement in January 2006. During that time he served under the leadership of seven Chairmen, four Acting Chairmen and nineteen Commissioners.

As Commission Secretary, Mr. Katz was responsible for coordinating the deliberations and actions of the five-member Commission. He reviewed all materials submitted by the staff to the Commission for action and made determinations as to the appropriate process for Commission action. He was responsible for the final review of all documents prepared by the Commission or by its staff prior to issuance.

As a participant in all matters considered by the Commission, Mr. Katz had the opportunity to be involved in virtually every program administered by the SEC, from major rulemaking and enforcement actions to routine regulatory functions performed by the Commission’s staff on a daily basis.

During his tenure, the Commission delegated to Mr. Katz the authority to act on its behalf in a wide range of areas when it determined that specific Commission deliberations were not required. These areas included the authority to institute administrative proceedings and accept settlements in certain enforcement proceedings, the authority to review and approve plans for distribution to investors, and the authority to manage the Commission’s docket of appellate actions.

While at the SEC, Mr. Katz was actively involved in numerous initiatives to improve agency operations and efficiency. These included active participation in the development of the SEC EDGAR system, the development and expansion of the SEC internet website, www.sec.gov, and its internal intranet, The INSIDER. He participated in or led numerous internal working groups that reviewed agency operations, including former Chairman Pitt’s comprehensive study of SEC internal operations. These efforts led to a comprehensive updating of the Commission’s rules of practice, the adoption of mandatory deadlines for completion of Commission administrative proceedings, the development of internal dashboards to monitor staff activity and the creation of an Office of Risk Assessment. In 1994, Mr. Katz was the recipient of the SEC Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor awarded to its staff.

In addition to his regular duties, Mr. Katz participated in a variety of foreign technical assistance programs, sponsored or supported by a variety of international organizations. These included projects in Bulgaria, Romania , Hungary, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Korea.

Before becoming the Commission's Secretary, Mr. Katz served as Director of the Commission's Office of Consumer Affairs and Information Services, now the Office of Investor Education and Assistance.

Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Katz worked for eight years in the U.S. Department of Justice in a variety of positions. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Colgate University and a Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of Pittsburgh.