Written by: Christine Lee, CoinDesk
Compiled by: Ismay, BlockBeats
Editor’s note: As the transition process for Trump's new term accelerates, the selection of the SEC chair is drawing significant attention. Among them, Teresa Goody Guillén has emerged as a leading candidate due to her extensive experience in both traditional securities law and the cryptocurrency space. The Trump team is exhibiting a strong focus on supporting business and the cryptocurrency industry, proposing a vision for reforming the current regulatory model. This article delves into Goody Guillén's background and her potential role in this reform, while also outlining the latest nomination dynamics for other key positions, presenting readers with the regulatory direction and policy trends of Trump's second term in office.
Goody Guillén has been widely nominated as a leading candidate for SEC Chair
Goody Guillén is a partner at BakerHostetler and co-head of the firm’s blockchain practice. Cryptocurrency companies privately support her as SEC Chair due to her experience at the SEC and her extensive background representing blockchain companies and traditional Wall Street firms in dealings with the SEC.
"Masa co-founder Brendan Playford said: 'Among all the candidates currently being discussed, she is the best candidate.' Masa is a token-driven company providing decentralized data services for AI businesses. Playford also mentioned that Goody Guillén would bring immediate change to the SEC."
Playford: Goody Guillén will bring disruptive change to the cryptocurrency industry
"She has a clear understanding of the relevant laws and how the SEC operates," Playford said. "We are going to have a leader who can bring about change immediately; she strongly supports cryptocurrency, which will totally change the landscape of the industry."
Goody Guillén declined to comment. Trump transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also did not respond to requests for comment.
After contributing over $130 million in campaign support to Trump and other Republican candidates in the cryptocurrency industry, industry players gained the attention of the Trump team during the candidate selection process. Reports indicate that Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong privately met with Trump to discuss personnel appointments.
Goody Guillén enters the competitive list of SEC Chair candidates
Goody Guillén has become one of the candidates likely to succeed current SEC Chair Gary Gensler. It is reported that Gensler has begun to refer to his position in the past tense, and is expected to resign before Trump is officially inaugurated on January 20. As a rule, SEC Chairs usually resign during the new administration transition period. During the campaign, Trump promised to "fire" Gensler on the first day of his presidency.
Reportedly, other SEC Chair candidates include: Robert Stebbins, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Brad Bondi, partner at Paul Hastings, former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins, Dan Gallagher, Chief Legal Officer at Robinhood, and Brian Brooks, former Acting Comptroller of the Currency.
"Tough as Nails" — The SEC Journey of Teresa Goody Guillén
According to her LinkedIn page, Teresa Goody Guillén served as a lawyer in the SEC's Office of the General Counsel from 2009 to 2011, when Mary Shapiro became the first female Chair of the SEC.
Subsequently, as COO and Managing Director of Kalorama Partners, Goody Guillén collaborated with former SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt to provide clients with advice on responding to SEC enforcement cases.
According to three informed sources, the Trump transition team plans a comprehensive reform of the SEC, seeking a leader with a business-friendly, non-bureaucratic background, to roll back the expanded agency functions during Gensler's term and end the practice of "implementing regulation through enforcement actions."
In the cryptocurrency space, the Trump team is looking for a leader who understands the industry and takes a cautious approach to the application of securities laws to digital assets until Congress passes clear legislation. These insiders also stated that Goody Guillén's peers believe she fully embodies these principles.
"She is low-key... but tough as nails," said Charley Cooper, senior advisor at digital asset solutions provider R3 and former COO of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). "She will govern based on a deep understanding of securities law in traditional markets and the cryptocurrency space, and will significantly reduce the previous administration's reliance on enforcement regulation and arbitrary interpretation of laws established 90 years ago."
Nicole Trudeau, General Counsel of investment firm Wave Digital Assets, has collaborated with Goody Guillén on several cryptocurrency-related bankruptcy cases and SEC takeover cases.
"Teresa is a true pioneer in the cryptocurrency space, possessing the expertise and vision needed to lead the SEC and drive the growth of cryptocurrency and capital markets in the U.S.," Trudeau said. "She embodies President Trump's expectations for this area."
Swift Action
Washington insiders reveal that compared to Trump’s first term, this candidate selection process is faster and more orderly, with the SEC Chair candidate expected to be determined before Thanksgiving.
Trump has appointed his transition team co-chair, Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, as Secretary of Commerce. Lutnick had previously actively sought to become Secretary of the Treasury, but current frontrunners for that position include Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, Mark Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management, and former Federal Reserve Board member Kevin Warsh.
Trump has announced several notable and controversial nominations, including nominating Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, but he is expected to face strong opposition in Congress due to allegations involving sex trafficking.
Additionally, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth was nominated for Secretary of Defense, former Democratic Congressman Tulsi Gabbard was nominated for Director of National Intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was nominated for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
