SEC’s Hester Peirce to Join Regent Law Faculty in Nov. 2026

Regent University School of Law announced on May 19, 2026 that Hester M. Peirce, a current Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner, will join the Virginia Beach law school as an associate professor in November 2026. The announcement described Peirce’s role as expanding teaching in securities regulation, financial markets, administrative governance and digital assets.

Peirce has served at the SEC since 2018, when she was appointed by President Donald J. Trump and sworn in on Jan. 11, 2018. Her prior work includes time at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) and a federal clerkship for Judge Roger Andewelt on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Regent Law also named Gregory F. Jacob senior associate dean and associate professor. Jacob’s government service includes senior legal roles at the White House, the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor, and a term as counsel to Vice President Mike Pence. The school announced Jacob will join in the fall semester.

At the SEC, Peirce leads the agency’s Crypto Task Force, a unit separate from the Enforcement Division that focuses on regulatory frameworks, disclosure standards and industry engagement. The task force has worked on crypto taxonomy, secondary market trading, custody, the status of specific digital assets and possible product features for crypto exchange-traded products.

The group has also examined staking, in-kind creations and redemptions, disclosure obligations and market-structure questions for blockchain-based products.

On policy, Peirce has opposed wide enforcement-led regulation of digital assets and has proposed a safe-harbor approach that would allow token teams time to develop decentralized networks before meeting full securities registration requirements. She has urged rules designed for blockchain markets and clearer public guidance to help firms pursue compliance.

The SEC website lists Peirce’s term as expiring in 2025. Commissioners may remain in office for about 18 months after a term ends if no replacement has been confirmed; that holdover practice explains her continued listing as a commissioner. The site also shows Paul S. Atkins as chairman since 2025 and Mark T. Uyeda as a commissioner.

Dean S. Ernie Walton commented, “Greg Jacob and Hester Peirce have served at the highest levels of law, government, and public life.” Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda offered a statement of support: “I look forward to the efforts of Commissioner Peirce to lead regulatory policy on crypto, which involves multiple SEC divisions and offices.”

Regent Law plans for both Peirce and Jacob to begin teaching during the fall or winter terms, with Peirce starting in November 2026. The law school said the hires will support courses on legal service in public institutions and on the regulatory issues that shape financial markets.