He provides thought leadership on a variety of financial services and regulatory matters, as well as head of the firm’s Cryptocurrency Task Force. Ken focuses on serving clients who need informed and proven strategies to successfully navigate a broad spectrum of threats arising from investigations, compliance examinations, litigation, and crisis scenarios. At Kroll, Ken has provided expert testimony and reports on various regulatory compliance and enforcement matters, counseled on multiple high-profile investigations, advised SEC-registered entities on ESG policies and practices, conducted due diligence in the context of M&A transactions, and guided innovators on various digital currency structures and proposed offerings. He has a unique combination of front-line expertise and experience in U.S. securities law, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance. Ken served with distinction for a total of over 21 years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including service as one of the inaugural supervisors in the Division of Enforcement’s specialized Asset Management Unit, and most recently as a Senior Officer in the Commission’s Division of Examinations (f/k/a as the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations). He has investigated, supervised, and resolved numerous complex and high-profile cases involving a wide variety of alleged misconduct by market professionals, other individuals, and by public and private entities.
Ken’s extensive docket of cases and compliance examinations at the SEC included allegations and/or findings of breaches of the anti-fraud provisions, fiduciary duty, disclosure, custody and compliance requirements, as well as the anti-corruption, data privacy and cybersecurity obligations under the federal securities laws. In total, his enforcement and examination matters on behalf of the SEC resulted in the payment of over $1 billion in monetary relief to shareholders, investors, and clients. He was responsible for conducting numerous parallel investigations and successful actions in conjunction with federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities. And, he led his team’s response to regulatory concerns involving reinsurance products, special purpose vehicles, credit default swaps, auction rate securities, cyber-intrusions, Brexit, high-yield bonds, fee and expense allocations, undisclosed conflicts, and share class selection, among others. While at the SEC, Ken served in leadership positions on several governance committees, including the National Exam Program’s Executive Committee and as co-chair of the Risk and Exam Process Committee, where he helped develop national and local examination initiatives and priorities. He also served on the Risk Analytics Committee and contributed to the development of technology solutions to improve his program’s analytical capabilities, efficiency, and techniques used to identify actual or potential misconduct.
Ken holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. He also earned B.S., MBA, and post-graduate degrees in Marketing Management and International Finance from St. John’s University, New York. He earned a Certificate in Securities & Financial Regulation from the Georgetown University Law Center (through the SEC), and a Certificate in Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies, from the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education. Ken is admitted to practice law in the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, as well as the States of New York and Connecticut. He is a frequent speaker at industry panels on matters relating to SEC enforcement and securities law compliance, governance, and risk management and has represented the SEC on several foreign technical assistance missions. Ken also has substantial experience interacting with U.S. and foreign regulators and law enforcement agencies from the state, federal, and international levels, including those from the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Federal Reserve, and state securities regulators.
Prior to joining the SEC, Ken worked in the financial services industry, as well as in academia. He is a former Associate Dean of the largest undergraduate college within a major New York-area university. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Kennedy School NY/NJ/CT Alumni Network (President), University Settlement, the University of North Carolina Law Alumni Association, and through June 2021 on the School Leadership Team of Ft. Hamilton High School, Brooklyn, NY.
