Mark Toshiro Uyeda is an American attorney and government official. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, Uyeda has served as a member of the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

(SEC) since June 30, 2022. He is the first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

to serve on the SEC.

Early life and education

Uyeda was born to a

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

family. His grandfather Mac Yukihiro, ran the family business, Yukihiro Produce, in

Westminster, California Westminster is a city in northern Orange County, California, known for its many Vietnamese refugees who immigrated to the city during the 1980s. They settled largely in Little Saigon, and the city is known as the "capital" of overseas Vietnames ...

. Uyeda stated his grandfather and mother were

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

due to

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order authorized the secretary of war to prescribe certain ...

, which forced him to rebuild his business. Uyeda graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

with a bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1992. He later received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the Duke University School of Law. As a law student, Uyeda was the notes editor for the Duke Law Journal.

Legal career

From 1995 to 1996, Uyeda worked as an associate at

K&L Gates K&L Gates LLP is an American multinational corporation law firm based in the United States, with international offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Its namesake firms are Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, a Pittsburgh-ba ...

. He later became an associate at

O'Melveny & Myers O'Melveny & Myers LLP is an American multinational law firm founded in Los Angeles, California in 1885. The firm employs approximately 740 lawyers and has offices in California, Washington, D.C., New York City, Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, Lon ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he worked from 1997 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006, he served as a senior advisor to the commissioner of the

California Department of Corporations The California Department of Corporations (DOC) was a department within the former California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency in California. The chief officer of the Department was the Commissioner of Corporations. Effective July 1, 20 ...

. In 2006, he became an attorney and advisor at the U.S.

Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...

(SEC). Prior to serving as a commissioner, Uyeda was a staffer for SEC commissioner

Michael Piwowar Michael Piwowar is a former American federal government official who served as a Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2013 until 2018. Education Piwowar earned a Bachelor of Arts in foreign service and international politi ...

and worked for SEC chair Jay Clayton. He has also worked on detail as a Republican staffer for the

United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs The United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (formerly the Committee on Banking and Currency), also known as the Senate Banking Committee, has jurisdiction over matters related to banks and banking, price controls, ...

Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

In April 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Uyeda to fill a vacant seat on the SEC left formerly held by Elad Roisman. His nomination was supported by Senator Pat Toomey ( R- PA), who signed a letter of recommendation in his favor. On June 16, 2022, both Uyeda and Democratic SEC nominee Jaime Lizárraga were confirmed by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. Alongside

Hester Peirce Hester Maria Peirce is an American lawyer who serves as a Commissioner on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She previously served as the director of the Financial Markets Working Group at George Mason University's Mercatus Center. P ...

, Uyeda is one of two Republicans on the five member body. Uyeda's confirmation made him the first

to serve as an SEC commissioner. Since taking office, Uyeda has expressed concerns about the viability of thirty-day comment periods.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uyeda, Mark Living people McDonough School of Business alumni Duke University School of Law alumni American lawyers U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission personnel Year of birth missing (living people) American politicians of Japanese descent Asian conservatism in the United States American people of Japanese descent Biden administration personnel People associated with O'Melveny & Myers Members of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission