Investment Adviser Association President David Tittsworth announced Tuesday he will step down early next year “to explore personal goals."

In his nearly 20 years at the helm, Tittsworth has presided over the trade group that has grown from 200 member firms with $1 trillion in assets under management to more than 550 responsible for over $11 trillion.

As a lawyer by training, he started his working life as a research attorney for the Kansas Court of Appeals in 1978.

Tittsworth was the face of the industry in the development of the seminal Dodd-Frank act, having appeared numerous times before Congressional committees during its gestation.

“There’s no question he has done an outstanding job on investor protection," said former Texas Securities Commissioner Denise Crawford, who was also past president of the North American Securities Administrators Association. "He will be sorely missed.”

IAA Board President Scott Richter said Tittsworth will leave behind a very distinguished and successful legacy.