Heads up: The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to put forth a number of major rulemaking proposals in the coming months, including one on proxy access, according to its chairman.

In an April 6 speech, SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro revealed that a proposal on proxy access is on the Commission’s agenda for next month.

In remarks before the Spring meeting of the Council of Institutional Investors, Schapiro said the SEC will consider a proposal “to ensure that a company’s owners have a meaningful opportunity to nominate directors.”

“We are looking at what the Commission considered in both 2003 and 2007; and we’re also considering the potential impact of proposed changes to Delaware’s corporate law,” she said. Schapiro said the SEC is viewing the issues with “fresh eyes” to ensure that any procedural requirements for access are “rational, and not a means to thwart effective investor participation.”

In June, the SEC will consider whether to enhance disclosure around director nominee experience, qualifications, and skills. The current rules only require a very brief description of a candidate’s business experience over the past five years, which Schapiro said “may not be sufficient in today’s complex business environment.”

Schapiro said the SEC will also consider whether boards should disclose their reasons for choosing their particular leadership structure—whether they have an independent chair, a non-independent chair, or a combined CEO/chair, as well as whether greater disclosure is needed about how a company—and the board in particular—manages risks, both generally and in the context of setting compensation.

Schapiro said she doesn’t anticipate mandating any particular form of oversight. Instead, she’s asked the staff to develop a proposal that looks to providing investors and the market “with better insight into how each company and each board addresses these vital tasks.”

The SEC will also consider whether greater disclosure is needed about a company’s overall compensation approach, beyond decisions with respect only to the highest paid officers, as well as compensation consultant conflicts of interests.

Schapiro also noted that the SEC plans to convene a roundtable to gather views on limiting short sales in a down market. The SEC has slated an open meeting this week to consider proposing new rules in that area.

The members of an Investor Advisory Committee to provide investor input to the agency will also be announced soon, she said.

Proposed reforms to provide greater oversight of hedge funds, credit default swaps, and asset-backed securities are also on the agency’s near-term agenda.