Cicely LaMothe, Deputy Director of the SEC's Finance Department, announced her retirement and has led several cryptocurrency policies

According to The Block, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on Monday that the Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, Cicely LaMothe, is set to retire. LaMothe has led several key cryptocurrency policies over the past year, including the clear indication that meme coins do not fall under securities and outlining the SEC's stance on staking.

She joined the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance in 2002, having previously worked in the private sector and holding a CPA license. LaMothe's retirement comes as the SEC enters its second year of a more crypto-friendly direction, during which the SEC has approved specific cryptocurrency ETF listing standards, launched the "crypto project" to update digital asset rules, and dismissed enforcement cases against several well-known crypto companies.

The SEC also announced that the Deputy Director of the Enforcement Division's Southeast Region, Nekia Hackworth Jones, has completed her term at the end of December.