SEC's Crypto Champion Hester Peirce Exits Amid Market Boom
Hester Peirce, known as 'Crypto Mom' for her pro-crypto stance, is leaving the SEC on October 2. She will take over as an associate professor at Regent University School of Law in November.
Pierce chaired the SEC's Crypto Task Force since February 4, 2025, and was a strong advocate for crypto companies. Her departure leaves the agency with only two sitting commissioners: Chair Paul Atkins and Mark Uyeda.
The timing is particularly bad, as it comes just as the market is seeing significant growth in US spot Bitcoin ETFs. The funds pulled in $2.4 billion in the week ending September 25, their biggest weekly haul since October 2025.
The SEC will be down to two commissioners for a while, and the White House has yet to name nominees for the open seats or Peirce's replacement. This could slow down the agency's crypto agenda, as the current commission can still move in the same direction but loses the person who was doing the actual translation work between exchanges' legal teams and the agency's rulemaking process.