Two new commissioners, Michael V. Dunn and Fred Hatfield, and one returning commissioner, Acting Chairman Sharon Brown-Hruska, were sworn in last Monday at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency that regulates commodity futures and options trading in the United States. The term of Walter L. Lukken, a fourth CFTC commissioner, began in August 2002 and ends next April.

The Senate confirmed the nominations on Nov. 21. President Bush nominated Hatfield on Oct. 8, but Dunn’s nomination came just five days prior to confirmation. Dunn joins the CFTC after serving as director of the Office of Policy and Analysis at the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), where he was responsible for managing two FCA Divisions. Prior to that he was the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He is a native of Keokuk, IA, and received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of New Mexico. Dunn’s term expires on June 19, 2006.

Hatfield joins the CFTC after having served as chief of staff to Sen. John Breaux (D-LA), Assistant Minority Whip. Before joining Breaux’s staff, Hatfield served as chief of staff to the House Majority Whip, Tony Coelho (D-CA). In 1998, Hatfield served as Deputy Commissioner General of the U.S. Pavilion at the World’s Fair in Lisbon, Portugal. Hatfield received his B.A. from California State University, Fresno.

Brown-Hruska was nominated for a second term as a commissioner by President Bush on July 22. Her term expires on April 13, 2009. She has served as a CFTC commissioner since Aug. 7, 2002, and as acting chairman since July 2004. She will continue to serve as Acting Chairman. Prior to joining the CFTC, she was an Assistant Professor of Finance in the School of Management at George Mason University and prior to that she taught at Tulane University and Virginia Tech.

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