CFTC NAMES MARK P. WETJEN AS ACTING CHAIRMAN

FROM:  COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 
CFTC Names Mark P. Wetjen Acting Chairman of the Commission

Washington, DC —The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) today announced that the members of the Commission have unanimously elected Commissioner Mark P. Wetjen to serve as Acting Chairman upon the end of Chairman Gary Gensler’s service.

“I am honored to have been chosen to serve as Acting Chairman,” said Commissioner Wetjen. “I thank my colleagues, Commissioners Chilton and O’Malia, for their support and look forward to working collaboratively to oversee the ongoing implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act and the continuation of the CFTC’s critical mission. I also would like to thank Chairman Gensler for his leadership of this agency and of the financial reform effort in the aftermath of the financial crisis. I am eager to continue that effort in consultation with my fellow commissioners.”

“I am so pleased that my friend and partner Mark Wetjen will be Acting Chairman at such an exciting time for the agency,” Gensler said. “Mark has worked tirelessly to bring swaps market reform to life. The Commission has greatly benefitted from his thoughtful insight. The CFTC will be well served with Mark at the helm as it continues the important work of implementing financial reforms for the benefit of the public.”

Wetjen was sworn in as a Commissioner of the CFTC on October 25, 2011. Prior to his CFTC service, he worked in the U.S. Senate as a senior leadership staffer advising on all financial-services-related matters. Before his service in the U.S. Senate, Commissioner Wetjen was a lawyer in private practice.

Born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, Commissioner Wetjen received a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and a law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.