Roberta Karmel

Early life and education Karmel was born in Chicago, Illinois, grew up in its Austin neighborhood, and has one sister. Both of her parents had also been born in Chicago, and her father was a lawyer.

She attended Austin High School, graduating in 1955, and the University of Michigan in 1955. She received a B.A. from Radcliffe College (cum laude; American History and Literature; 1959). Her law school class had about 4% women. She later served as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission from September 1977 to February 1980, and was the first female SEC Commissioner in the SEC's 48-year history. Having been appointed at 40 years of age, she was one of the youngest Commissioners ever appointed.

Karmel served as a public director of the New York Stock Exchange from 1983 to 1989, the third woman to serve on its board of directors. Her book Life at the Center: Reflections on Fifty Years of Securities Regulation was published by Practising Law Institute in 2014.

Death Karmel died in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York at the age of 86 on March 23, 2024 due to pancreatic cancer.