SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins announced the appointment of four new members to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board on January 30, including a new chairman to lead the audit watchdog.
Demetrios (Jim) Logothetis, a retired Ernst & Young partner with forty years of auditing experience, will serve as chairman. He will be joined by Mark Calabria, Kyle Hauptman, and Steve Laughton. George Botic, who has served as Acting Chairman since July 2025, will remain on the board.
“I am confident that this new Board will usher in a new day at the PCAOB, one of sensible, efficient oversight of auditors,” Atkins said in his statement.
The transition is expected to complete within the next few weeks.
Atkins emphasised that the new appointees had accepted “compensation much more in line with the ethos of public service.” PCAOB board salaries have historically exceeded $500,000 annually, drawing criticism given that public companies and broker-dealers fund the board’s budget through fees.
The new board will “refocus on the PCAOB’s core statutory mission,” Atkins said, specifically “protecting investors and furthering the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports.”
Who’s joining
Logothetis spent his career at EY, serving as lead partner for Fortune 250 clients including The Coca-Cola Company and Fiat Chrysler before retiring in 2019. He later served as a senior advisor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Calabria brings federal regulatory experience as former Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Hauptman currently chairs the National Credit Union Administration, having been elevated to the role in January 2025. Laughton has served as board counsel to outgoing member Christina Ho since 2022, following more than 30 years at the Treasury Department.
Departures
Atkins thanked outgoing board members Christina Ho, Kara Stein, and Anthony Thompson for their service, noting they had “carried out their many important responsibilities with diligence and professionalism.”
The PCAOB, established by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, oversees audits of public companies and broker-dealers. Atkins initiated the search process for new board members in July 2025.
