The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that George Curtis, special advisor to the director of the Division of Enforcement, has returned to the private sector to rejoin the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as partner.

Curtis joined the SEC staff in 2006 as the regional director of the SEC's Denver Regional Office after 30 years in private practice with Gibson, Dunn. He was named a deputy director of the Division of Enforcement in 2008, and continued in that role until becoming special advisor in September 2009.

As deputy director of Enforcement from 2008 to 2009, a position he shared with Scott Friestad, Curtis worked closely with the staff nationwide in responding to the financial crisis, while also maintaining and expanding the Division's focus on preventing and punishing fraud on investors.

As the regional director of the SEC's Denver Regional Office, Curtis had responsibility for the staff's enforcement and examination work over a seven state region. Throughout his time with the Commission's staff, he also worked with the other regional directors and senior officers in the Division of Enforcement and with other federal regulatory authorities and state counterparts in the protection of investors.