Title: Branch Chief (Retired)
Company: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Location: Washington, D.C., United States
Jeremiah J. de Michaelis, retired branch chief at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in government and finance.
Born in Boise, Idaho, and raised in Boston, Mr. de Michaelis set ambitious goals for his career early in life. He specifically recalls establishing a plan for where he wanted to end up, writing it down on a three-by-five card, and taping it to his bathroom mirror. Faced with this card every day, Mr. de Michaelis was driven to work hard toward his objectives, while being willing to make adjustments as he grew and his situation changed. He considers the consistency of his focus to be the primary factor for his future success.
That success would come in the world of finance — an area that Mr. de Michaelis recognized the importance of at an equally young age. He learned the necessity of saving and building an investment base in order to acquire real estate. Those lessons led Mr. de Michaelis to a tenure of more than 40 years as a branch chief with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This independent federal government agency helps protect investors and reduce volatility and unfair practices in the markets.
Before retiring in 2010, Mr. de Michaelis took great pride in carefully monitoring creative practices on Wall Street and in the broader private sector of the United States economy. He was able to make significant contributions to the development of those practices. In particular, Mr. de Michaelis worked to regulate mutual funds. This complex task required careful analysis of how these investment packages were structured and whether their risk was being properly communicated to investors.
Additionally, Mr. de Michaelis regularly gave speeches and made public appearances throughout his career, including being a panelist at the SEC Speaks Conference, the Investment Company Institute Securities Law Developments Conference, the Emerging Markets Conference and the International Institute for Securities Market Development. Concurrently with his time at the SEC, he taught for five years as a professor of finance at the American University.
Mr. de Michaelis’ vocational journey has been supported at every step by a strong academic background, beginning with his education in Massachusetts, which is renowned for the quality of its public schools. After his time in public school, he attended Lawrence Academy, a private all-boys boarding school, where he was instilled with values that would become a core part of his life moving forward. Mr. de Michaelis obtained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and economics from Boston College in 1967, deciding to pursue a life in public service during this period. Subsequently, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the American University in 1969.
In the 15 years since his retirement, Mr. de Michaelis has devoted most of his time to volunteer work, including reaffirming his lifelong commitment to his faith. Since 1986, he has been a member of the investment committee for the Episcopal Diocese Investment Fund, with a focus on assisting the Washington National Cathedral in generating donations. This work reflects Mr. de Michaelis’ dedication to supporting the church’s outreach, which includes feeding the poor, providing housing and other essential services. He previously contributed as a senior warden and chairman of the investment committee at St. Paul’s Parish and chairman of St. Paul’s Endowment Management. Mr. de Michaelis has also more recently become a member of the finance committee at the Cosmos Club. This private social club has been active in Washington, D.C., for over 130 years and brings together distinguished individuals in the arts, literature, public service and science.
Mr. de Michaelis was awarded the Superior Performance Award by the SEC for his esteemed accomplishments during his extensive employment. Outside of his professional and civic lives, he is a loving husband and father to two sons.
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