The George Washington University Law School announced that Kristin N. Johnson, the Lyle T. Alverson Professor of Law, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as a member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On Nov. 12, the White House sent the Senate her nomination for a term expiring June 5, 2029, filling the seat previously held by Caroline A. Crenshaw.
“We are immensely proud of Professor Johnson,” said GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew. “Her nomination reflects the excellence of GW Law's faculty—scholars who do not simply study the law but shape it. It also speaks to the strength of our Business and Finance Law program, where students learn from faculty who have written and enforced the rules that govern our financial markets, just steps from the agencies that oversee them.
“Professor Johnson brings to the classroom, and now to this nomination, a rare combination of scholarly depth and real-world regulatory experience. The GW Law community congratulates her on this extraordinary honor.”
Johnson joined GW Law as a tenured faculty member at the start of the 2025–2026 academic year. Prior to that, she served as commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 2022 until September 2025. President Joe Biden appointed her to that position.
“I am deeply honored by this nomination. GW Law is a remarkable academic community characterized by dynamic, impactful scholars, exceptional educators and engaged students, and its location in Washington offers unmatched opportunities for engagement with law and policy,” Johnson said. “My work with GW Law's students and colleagues on the future of financial markets has been a privilege, and I look forward to carrying those lessons forward in service to investors and our capital markets.”
At GW Law, Johnson's teaching and writing explore the regulation and private ordering of capital and credit markets, including the implications of emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. She is affiliated with the GW Center for Law & Technology: The Bernard Center.
In May 2026, she moderated a fireside chat with the SEC's Director of the Division of Enforcement at GW Law's Future of Financial Markets Symposium: Crypto to Prediction Markets and Beyond.
Her ties to GW Law predate her appointment: her article "Automating the Risk of Bias" appeared in the George Washington Law Review in 2019. As a CFTC commissioner, she also delivered an endowed lecture at the law school in 2023.