The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board appointed Erik Durbin as acting chief economist and director of its Office of Economic and Risk Analysis.
Dubin was previously OERA's deputy chief economist. (OERA conducts independent economic and risk analyses to aid the PCAOB's oversight activities.) He will succeed Joshua White in the role.
"The work of the Office of Economic and Risk Analysis is critical for the PCAOB and its investor-protection mission, given that sound audit regulation depends on having access to data-driven assessments of how standards and rules impact auditing and, ultimately, the users of financial statements," PCAOB acting chair George Botic said in a statement. "We are pleased that Erik, as acting chief economist and OERA director, will help us maintain and enhance the PCAOB's strong commitment to economic analysis."
Prior to joining the PCAOB in 2024, Durbin was section chief of consumer and household research and policy in the office of research at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers. He has also worked as an economist at the Federal Trade Commission, as an assistant professor of economics at Washington University, and as an attorney in private practice. Durbin earned a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University and a J.D. from Georgetown University.
Botic added, "We thank Josh [White] for all his many contributions at our organization, and we wish him well in his new role at the SEC."
White joined the PCAOB as senior advisor in OERA in June 2024 and was appointed acting chief economist and OERA director in May 2025. Following his departure, he will become the chief economist and director of the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
