Photography by Robert Shanklin - Courtesy of the SEC

Co-Sponsored by Hunton & Williams LLP
September 16-17, 2013
Washington, D.C.

The LCLD Learning Experience hosted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was an incredible prelude to the LCLD 2013 Fellows Second Meeting in Washington, D.C. in September. The SEC welcomed about 30 LCLD Fellows to spend the day listening to several department directors present on an array of topics.

"We had the rare opportunity to learn firsthand about the SEC’s regulatory and enforcement activities, the backgrounds and philosophies of the agency’s leadership, and the diversity and inclusion mission of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI)," said Cassandra Headrick, a 2012 Fellow. "The time and effort of everyone involved at the SEC made for an exceptional experience for the Fellows attending."

Among a list of distinguished speakers, Mary Jo White, who was appointed by President Obama in early 2013, was remarkably inspirational with her words of wisdom about diversity and leadership, as the only woman having held the position of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in the 200-year-plus history of that office, and the third woman to become Chair of the SEC. Other directors and commissioners covered other current topics, such as the issues they are confronting regarding the Madoff dilemma and drafting the Dodd Frank bill.

There were speakers back-to-back throughout the day, even during lunch. It was an extraordinary experience that exceeded all expectations.

Paula Aguila, a 2013 LCLD Fellow, is a Partner at Rivero Mestre LLP of Miami.