The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, July 6, 2026, named Paul Knight as Chief Operating Officer, bringing back a former agency official who spent nearly 12 years at JPMorgan Chase.
Based in Washington, D.C., Knight will be responsible for the SEC’s operational and administrative functions. His portfolio covers the EDGAR Business Office, Office of the Chief Data Officer, Office of the Chief Risk Officer, Human Resources, Acquisitions, Financial Management, and Support Operations. The COO office works with the Chairman’s Office on budget policy, resource allocation, and operational effectiveness.
At JPMorgan Chase, Knight most recently worked as principal lead for growth across U.S. lines of business and had earlier run the program office for Chase Bank’s expansion into 25 new states. From 2012 to 2014, he served as a senior advisor and business manager at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He was at the SEC from 2008 to 2012 in several roles, including interim managing executive for the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said Knight’s experience “both inside and outside of the Commission” made him well-equipped to lead the agency’s operations team. Atkins also thanked Charlene Arietti Gold for serving as acting COO over the previous seven months.
