When Daniel Aronowitz appeared before the U.S. Senate during his confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), ESOP professionals across the country took notice. In a moment that quickly reverberated through the employee ownership community, Aronowitz pledged to “end the war on ESOPs”—a phrase that captured years of frustration with what many viewed as an adversarial regulatory environment.
Since his confirmation, Assistant Secretary Aronowitz has begun translating those words into action. EBSA has halted the national ESOP enforcement project and signaled a shift away from open‑ended investigations and regulation by litigation, priorities Aronowitz outlined clearly during his confirmation process. The ESOP Association has described his leadership as a long‑awaited opportunity to restore balance, clarity, and congressional intent to ESOP oversight.
Against that backdrop, The ESOP Association expects Assistant Secretary Aronowitz to address its National Conference on Friday, May 8, in Washington, DC. For the ESOP community, this is more than a headline—it is a rare chance to hear directly from the official responsible for ESOP enforcement and regulatory policy at a pivotal moment for employee ownership.
Conference attendees can anticipate Aronowitz to outline EBSA’s current direction and emerging priorities, including how the agency intends to approach fiduciary enforcement, valuations, and long‑standing areas of uncertainty that have affected ESOP companies for decades. ESOP professionals, company leaders, and plan administrators alike will be listening closely, as these signals will shape compliance expectations and the broader policy climate for years to come.
With the National Conference taking place in Washington, this session is also unusually accessible. For many in the region, it is an easy drive—and an opportunity to gain first‑hand insight that few conferences ever offer.
Registration is open. Join colleagues from across the country in Washington as the ESOP community hears directly from Assistant Secretary Aronowitz at this consequential moment for employee ownership.
