Cristina Martin Firvida was appointed as the Investor Advocate at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January of 2023. She leads an office that advocates for investors by assisting them in interactions with the Commission and with self-regulatory organizations (SROs), analyzing the impact on investors of proposed rules and regulations, identifying problems that investors have with financial service providers and investment products, and proposing legislative or regulatory changes to promote the interests of investors.

Prior to her appointment at the SEC, Ms. Martin Firvida was the Vice President for Financial Security and Livable Communities at AARP, where she oversaw federal and state advocacy on Social Security, pensions, retirement savings, financial services and other aspects of financial security, as well as the federal budget, taxes, labor, housing, telecommunications, utilities, transportation, and fraud. She was previously AARP’s Director of Financial Security and Consumer Affairs from 2008 to 2018.

Prior to joining AARP, Ms. Martin Firvida was Director of Government Relations and Senior Counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, a leading research and advocacy organization for women’s equality and economic independence. She also worked at the Children’s Defense Fund as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center.

Ms. Martin Firvida is a graduate of Cornell Law School and Yale University, where she studied Philosophy. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, and is a native Spanish speaker.