The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced late Friday afternoon, on January 30, 2026, that it has appointed retired Ernst & Young LLP partner Demetrios Logothetis, as the new chairman of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
Three other board members were appointed while retaining George Botic who has served as acting chair of the board after SEC Chair Paul Atkins pushed Erica Williams out in July 2025. Botic will return to his previous role as a board member once Logothetis is sworn in, likely to provide continuity at the board, among other reasons. Botic’s term ends in October 2028.
The newly appointed board members are: Mark Calabria, an official at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); Kyle Hauptman, chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA); and Steven Laughton, counsel to PCAOB member Christina Ho who decided last year not to seek reappointment. Her last day is also January 30.
As the capital markets regulator, the SEC oversees the public company audit oversight board.
“I am confident that this new Board will usher in a new day at the PCAOB—one of sensible, efficient oversight of auditors,” said SEC Chairman Paul Atkins in a statement. “The newly appointed Chairman and Board members have already demonstrated a profound commitment to protecting investors and responsible use of such funds by accepting compensation much more in line with the ethos of public service. I look forward to working with this Board as it refocuses on the PCAOB’s core statutory mission—protecting investors and furthering the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports.”
The new leadership at the PCAOB is expected to take a sharp turn from the era under then-SEC Chair Gary Gensler, when Williams led the board. During that time, both the SEC and the PCAOB pursued ambitious rulemaking agendas and vigorous enforcement actions under the Biden Administration.
By contrast, President Trump’s SEC appointee, Atkins, has been pursuing the president’s deregulatory agenda, focusing on the capital formation aspect of the agency’s mission. His regulatory agenda includes rulemaking efforts that are friendlier to businesses seeking reduced disclosure rules and lower compliance burdens.
More Details About New Members
Chairman Demetrios (Jim) Logothetis will serve a term ending on October 24, 2030. He serves on the board of The Republic Bank of Chicago, where he chairs the audit committee, and on the advisory council of CrossCountry Consulting, a privately owned consulting firm. He retired from EY in 2019 after 40 years with the firm.
SEC Chief Accountant Hohl previously spent decades at EY as well. Coincidentally, the current chair of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), Richard Jones, is also an EY alum.
Logothetis also served as a senior adviser at the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, where he led the Audit Coordination Committee for Ginnie Mae, according to the SEC.
Mark Calabria will serve a term ending October 24, 2027. At the OMB, he is associate director and chief statistician. He is also a senior adviser to the Office of the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Previously, he was director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, assistant to the vice president, deputy assistant secretary with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and a senior economist at the National Association of Realtors.
Kyle Hauptman will serve a term ending October 24, 2029. He previously served on the Senate Banking Committee staff as staff director and economic policy counselor to Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR). Hauptman also worked at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, Jefferies & Co., and Lehman Brothers.
Steven Laughton will serve a term ending October 24, 2026. Before joining the PCAOB as an adviser in 2022, he spent more than 30 years with the Department of the Treasury. Board member Ho previously worked at the Treasury Department.
Current board members Kara Stein and Anthony Thompson will leave before their terms end. Stein’s term was scheduled to conclude in October 2026, while Thompson’s term was set to expire in October 2027.
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