Followers of the SEC will recognize the name John Heine, the agency's long-time spokesman who has been quoted in thousands of articles through the years. The SEC announced last week that on December 30, 2010, after 35 years of service, Heine retired from the agency's Office of Public Affairs.

Heine, who retired as OPA's Deputy Director, started at the SEC in 1975. In 2010, he was honored with the SEC's Excellence in Leadership Award. In a statement bidding him farewell, the SEC stated that

no matter the whirlwinds of change, some things remained constant:  John Heine's indefatigable commitment to providing you with timely and accurate information, his gentle demeanor, his wry sense of humor, and most of all, his consummate professionalism.  All will be missed.

As much as we hate to see him go, we wish John every future success and happiness in his richly-deserved retirement as our “Spokesman Extraordinaire.” 

Florence Harmon, currently the SEC's Deputy Secretary, will now become the new Deputy Director of OPA.