The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Antonia Apps, deputy director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement for the Northeast Region, will conclude her tenure with the agency, effective Dec. 1.
Apps is one of four deputy directors within the enforcement division, who also oversee the SEC’s offices for the Southeast Region (Nekia Jones), West Region (Katherine Zoladz) and Specialized Units (Jason Burt).
“I thank Antonia for her steadfast leadership in her different roles in the Division of Enforcement and her commitment to the staff and the SEC’s mission,” SEC Division of Enforcement Director Margaret Ryan said in a press release. “Her strategic counsel and analysis, her willingness to take on complex issues, and her dedication to the staff and the agency have earned her the deep respect of her colleagues during her tenure at the SEC. I wish Antonia all the best in her next endeavor.”
Apps was appointed acting deputy director of the enforcement division in January 2025 and, subsequently, became the deputy director of enforcement for the Northeast Region. Prior to that, Apps served as regional director of the New York Regional Office from January 2023, overseeing an office of over 600 attorneys, accountants, investigators, securities compliance examiners and others. She also led the examination and enforcement programs for the New York region.
“I want to thank acting chairman Mark Uyeda for entrusting me with the opportunity to help lead the exceptionally talented staff of the Division of Enforcement, first as acting deputy director for the entire division and then as deputy director overseeing the New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago regional offices,” Apps said. “I am proud of the Division’s collaboration with colleagues across the agency and with outside government partners to advance the commission’s mission of protecting investors and promoting fairness and integrity in our markets.”
During Apps’ tenure in the New York office, it brought more stand-alone enforcement actions and completed more examinations than any other office in the country and hired more staff in a two-year period than were hired in any previous two-year period in the history of the New York office.
“It has been a privilege to help lead the division this year and to serve as head of the New York Regional Office for the preceding two years,” she added. “Throughout my tenure, I have been consistently inspired by the dedication, integrity, and resilience of the staff who define this great agency. As I move on to my next chapter, I remain confident that this Division and the SEC will continue to meet the evolving challenges of our markets with determination, skill, and commitment to the public interest.”
Before joining the SEC in 2023, Apps was a litigation partner at Milbank LLP, representing clients in high-stakes criminal, regulatory and complex civil matters. She previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the Southern District of New York, investigating and prosecuting securities fraud and other white-collar cases.
The SEC did not indicate whether there are plans to replace Apps in the Northeast Region.