Departing Chief Says SEC Whistleblower Program Shows Value of Speaking Up

Jordan Thomas was quoted in an April 16, 2021 Wall Street Journal article about the departure of Jane Norberg, Esq. from her position as Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower. It was announced on April 8 that she would be leaving, and the article states that “[h]er last day was Friday.”

In an interview that she gave around this time, Ms. Norberg hailed the achievements of the whistleblower program, including new record-breaking totals of tips received by the Office and awards given out to whistleblowers whose tips led to successful enforcement actions. Ms. Norberg hopes that the program has led to “more accept[ance] [of whistleblowing] as the fabric of normalcy.”

According to the article, the SEC praised Ms. Norberg for streamlining the award determination process, and for managing a significant expansion of the Office of the Whistleblower.

“She has a lot to be proud of, and she left her mark,” Jordan observed. The article also mentions Jordan’s lawsuit that he filed against the SEC to protect whistleblowers from negative effects of recent program rule changes.

The SEC named Emily Pasquinelli, Esq. as Acting Chief to replace Ms. Norberg. Ms. Pasquinelli formerly was the Office of the Whistleblower’s Deputy Chief.