Remarks by Commissioner Caroline D. Pham at CFTC Chairman’s Town Hall

Good afternoon. It's my pleasure to provide some brief remarks at the Chairman's Town Hall. I appreciate this opportunity to share with you some of the initiatives I've been working on since I started my term as a Commissioner to create opportunities for staff that makes the CFTC a great place to work. Thank you, Chairman Behnam and CFTC leadership, for your support and partnering with me.

To start off, I want to thank each and every one of you for your dedicated public service and commitment to the CFTC's mission. I always say that the most important thing for any organization is its people. One of the hallmarks of my career is the opportunities I had for leadership and professional development, including here at the CFTC. I know how much of an impact it has had on me, and that's why it's been a focus of mine as a leader in my various roles throughout my career, and also in my roles with the American Bar Association, to identify and develop talent and future leaders. As we head into our 50^th anniversary, I echo that this forward-looking approach sets us up for success for the next 50 years.

First, for example, one of the initiatives I'm most proud of is creating executive champions for the CFTC's employee affinity groups. I'm proud to be the champion for both the CFTC's Association of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and for the CFTC's Latino-Hispanic Employee Association. Since I've been a Commissioner, I've met with all of the employee affinity groups several times a year to hear what's on your minds and how the Commission, and I personally, can support you.

Second, over the past two years, I have also been working on leadership skills and professional development initiatives to create more offsite training opportunities, like having CFTC staff participate in NFA's week-long intensive training course as we used to do in the past. I've also discussed with academic institutions about training seminars for CFTC staff on AI and other innovation, and sponsoring a leaders speaker series. And, I've been working on a potential curriculum for subject matter expertise in derivatives markets. I appreciate Chairman Behnam and the Division of Administration working with me on these initiatives and hope we will be able to announce something in the fall.

Third, as you all know, I loved being an intern at the CFTC and that's why I've been so pleased to not only have interns in my office each semester, but also to participate in fantastic intern events organized by the CFTC's NY office and DC headquarters. I am so impressed by the quality and enthusiasm of our CFTC interns and want to thank you and our internship coordinators for spending the time to mentor and train the next generation.

Fourth, promoting a great culture that welcomes diversity and supports professional development can start small. For example, since I've been a Commissioner, I have asked that staff briefings include both diverse as well as junior members of teams to provide opportunities for visibility and engagement. I encourage you all to think about little things that can make a difference for career advancement.

In closing, I again want to thank all of the hardworking CFTC staff who carry out the CFTC's mission every day across all of our functions, whether it is oversight, monitoring, reporting, registration and compliance, applications, product review, rulemaking, examinations, enforcement, whistleblower claims, reparations, legislative affairs, international engagement, research and analysis, public outreach and education, and our administration, secretariat, and operations and security. I hope you are all very proud of the impact you make in each of your roles. The Commission could not do what we do without all of you. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy some well-deserved time off this summer.