In the wake of her Senate confirmation earlier this week, Mary Jo White was formally sworn in as the 31st chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Wednesday.

White, a former federal prosecutor and securities lawyer, was nominated to be SEC chair by U.S. president Barack Obama on Feb. 7, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 8.

As the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1993 to 2002, White specialized in prosecuting complex securities and financial institution frauds and international terrorism cases. After leaving that post, she became chair of the litigation department at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York, where she led a team of more than 200 lawyers. She was previously a litigation partner at the firm from 1983 to 1990 and worked as an associate from 1976 to 1978.

White earned her undergraduate degree from William & Mary in 1970, and her master’s degree in psychology from The New School for Social Research in 1971. She earned her law degree in 1974 at Columbia Law School. She is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International College of Trial Lawyers. She also has served as a director of the Nasdaq stock exchange and on its executive, audit and policy committees, and she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

“It is an honor to lead the talented and dedicated SEC staff on behalf of America’s investors and markets,” said White. “Our markets are the envy of the world precisely because of the SEC’s work effectively regulating the markets, requiring comprehensive disclosure, and vigorously enforcing the securities laws.”