The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s deputy director of the Division of Corporation Finance, Cicely LaMothe, has announced her retirement after a 24-year tenure with the commission, during which she supported several pro-crypto initiatives that helped lay the groundwork for the SEC’s current, more supportive posture toward the digital asset space.
Summary
- Cicely LaMothe has retired from the SEC after a 24-year career that included senior leadership roles within the Division of Corporation Finance.
- She played a key role in staff guidance on memecoins, staking frameworks, and crypto-linked exchange-traded products during a pivotal year for the agency.
On Monday, Dec. 29, LaMothe, who currently serves as the Deputy Director for Disclosure Operations, announced her retirement following a tenure that spanned more than two decades.
“After more than two decades at the SEC, I depart with a deep sense of honor and gratitude for the opportunity to serve the American public. The work has been incredibly challenging and rewarding, and I have learned immensely from the dedicated individuals who commit themselves daily to this critical mission,” she said in the Dec. 29 statement.
LaMothe is a graduate in accounting from Hampton University and a Certified Public Accountant who joined the commission back in 2002 after working for six years in the private sector, including as a financial reporting manager at a public company and with a national accounting firm.
Throughout her years with the agency, she has served several key roles, including Program Director of the Disclosure Review Program, Associate Director of Disclosure Operations, and Associate Director of the Office of Assessment and Continuous Improvement, before stepping in as the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance from December 2024 until October 2025.
Over the years, LaMothe has played a crucial role in shaping the SEC’s policy approach toward crypto and was one of the key figures behind the agency’s plan to open an Office of Crypto Assets within the Division of Corporation Finance to address unique filing review issues related to digital assets.
During her final year, LaMothe’s work on crypto assets at the SEC focused on providing interpretive guidance through staff statements, which has been helpful for clarifying existing regulations.
LaMothe notably spearheaded guidance that a meme coin is not automatically classified as a security, which was released earlier this year. That clarification proved to be crucial in helping pave the way for the filing of several meme coin ETFs, including those tied to assets like Dogecoin and Bonk.
She was also behind a statement that provided clear guidance in distinguishing between centralized custodial staking and non-custodial staking by individuals, and behind another that helped lay the foundation for a faster approval process for various crypto ETPs by the end of 2025.
In total, LaMothe was involved in issuing seven staff statements on a range of crypto-related issues, including the application of securities laws to certain stablecoin arrangements and clarifications regarding disclosures for public companies engaged in crypto mining.
Pro-crypto voices depart
LaMothe’s retirement comes at a time when a number of other crypto-friendly officials are set to depart from key government roles.
Caroline Pham, who served as the Acting Chair of the CFTC for much of 2025, has announced that she is leaving to join the private sector as Chief Legal Officer at MoonPay, a crypto infrastructure service provider. She has led several pro-crypto initiatives, most recently pushing for the launch of leveraged spot crypto trading.
Rostin Behnam, the former Chairman of the CFTC who had actively advocated for Congress to grant the agency broader oversight over the spot crypto markets, had also stepped down earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Lummis, a key crypto proponent in Congress and a leading advocate for the idea of a U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve, has revealed she will not seek re-election next November.
