Troy Paredes Sworn In as SEC Commissioner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2008-167

Washington, D.C., Aug. 1, 2008 — Troy A. Paredes was sworn in this afternoon as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission by SEC Chairman Christopher Cox during a ceremony at the SEC’s Washington D.C. headquarters.

The ceremony was attended by his wife Laura Paredes, his parents Smiley and Hollie Paredes, his brother Randy Paredes, as well as other family members and friends. Other SEC commissioners and senior officials also attended.

Commissioner Paredes was appointed to the SEC by President George W. Bush on June 30, 2008. Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Paredes was teaching and researching in the areas of securities regulation and corporate governance as a professor at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Mo.

“Commissioner Paredes brings extensive knowledge of securities regulation and corporate governance that will be of enormous help to the Commission’s work to safeguard investors, maintain orderly markets, and encourage capital formation,” said SEC Chairman Christopher Cox. “I look forward to working with him and welcome his expertise as we move forward with a busy agenda at the SEC to help the American investor.”

Commissioner Paredes said, “I am deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to join the Commission and to do my part in helping to advance the Commission’s vital mission of protecting investors, promoting capital formation, and ensuring that our country’s securities markets function effectively. I look forward to working with Chairman Cox, my fellow commissioners, and the SEC’s dedicated staff as we work together to serve the public interest at this very important time.”

Commissioner Paredes has pursued numerous research interests during his time in academia, including such pertinent topics as executive compensation, hedge funds, the allocation of control within firms, the impact of psychology on corporate decision making and investor behavior, and the development of corporate governance and securities law systems in emerging markets. Commissioner Paredes has authored articles on these topics and is a co-author of a leading multi-volume securities regulation treatise.

Before joining Washington University’s faculty in 2001, Commissioner Paredes practiced law, working on a variety of transactions and matters involving financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

Commissioner Paredes graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in economics in 1992, and graduated from Yale Law School in 1996.