Mary Jo White
President Barack Obama on Thursday nominated Mary Jo White, a former prosecutor and private sector lawyer, to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.

White became the first and only woman to hold the post of U.S. attorney in Manhattan, and prosecuted the terrorists responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

She has more recently been a white-collar defense attorney. Her defense work has made some investor advocates wary of her, while others say the experience will be helpful as a regulator.

As SEC chairman, White would be expected to work closely with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission in implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial services reform act.