Luis A. Aguilar is a Democratic commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on March 31, 2008 and confirmed by the United States Senate on June 27, 2008. He was sworn in as a Commissioner on July 31, 2008.
Prior to his appointment as an SEC Commissioner, Mr. Aguilar was a partner with the international law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge, specializing in securities law. During his career, his practice included matters pertaining to general corporate and business law, international transactions, investment companies and investment advisers, securities law, and corporate finance. He also focused on issues related to corporate governance, public and private offerings (IPOs and secondary offerings), mergers and acquisitions, mutual funds, investment advisers, broker-dealers, and other aspects of federal and state securities laws and regulations.
Commissioner Aguilar's previous experience includes serving as the general counsel, executive vice president, and corporate secretary of INVESCO, with responsibility for all legal and compliance matters regarding INVESCO Institutional. He also was INVESCO's managing director for Latin America in the late 1990s. His career also includes tenure as a partner at several prominent national law firms and as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Commissioner Aguilar has been listed in the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 editions of the Best Lawyers in America. He was also named one of Georgia's Super Lawyers 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008 as published in Atlanta Magazine and Georgia Super Lawyers Magazine. He was listed on the Who's Who in Law in the Atlanta Business Chronicle for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, and was named one of the most influential foreign-born Atlantans by Atlanta Magazine in October 2007.
Commissioner Aguilar was named by Hispanic Business magazine in 2006 as one of the "100 Influential" Hispanics in the United States. Additionally, he was named Member of the Year in 2005 and the Atlanta Hispanic Businessman of the Year in 1994 by Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He received MALDEF'S (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) "Excellence in Leadership" Award in April 2005. He was also named the 2005 Latino Attorney of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association.
He has been active in numerous civic and business associations. From May 2005 to May 2007, he chaired the Latin American Association (LAA), a non-profit organization that has served Georgia's Latino community for over 33 years with comprehensive services that foster healthy, self-sufficient individuals, families and communities. The LAA offers employment, immigration, youth, family, housing, and translation services, as well as English and Spanish language classes. In recent years, the LAA has provided services to over 70,000 Hispanics annually.
He has served on various Boards, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Girl Scouts Council of Northwest Georgia, Inc., Georgia Hispanic Bar Association, United States Fund for UNICEF Southeast Regional Chapter, and CIFAL Atlanta, Inc.
He has been very active with national organizations such as the Hispanic National Bar Association. In 2002, Commissioner Aguilar was Co-Chair of its Annual Convention and also served as Regional President (for Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi) from 2002–2006, Chair of its Financial Committee from 2003–2005, and a member of its Board of Governors since 2002. In addition, he served as the President of the Hispanic National Bar Foundation from September 2006 to July 2008.
In January 2007, Commissioner Aguilar received the Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service by the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism of the Supreme Court of Georgia.
He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, and also received a master of laws degree in taxation from Emory University. Commissioner Aguilar has written numerous articles over the years. He is married to Denise T. Aguilar.
Commissioner Aguilar serves as sponsor of the SEC’s Hispanic Employment Committee and the African American Council.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "SEC Biography: Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar".