Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael S. Selig on Monday announced the appointment of Alan Brubaker as Director of the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs (OLIA).
OLIA is the division responsible for managing the CFTC’s relationship with Congress and other government bodies. The office turns the agency’s policy goals into legislative strategy and Hill-facing asks.
Brubaker joins the regulator from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where he served as a senior advisor to Kentucky Congressman James Comer, the committee’s chairman. In that role, Brubaker was involved in oversight and investigation work spanning multiple federal agencies.
Before his time on the committee, Brubaker was vice president of external affairs at Prudential Financial. He holds a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland.
“Alan brings a wealth of experience to the Commission from his prior government service, including his congressional experience handling economic, agricultural and financial policy matters,” said Selig. “He’ll be a strong asset to the Commission as we work with Congress to drive forward free market, pro-innovation policies that secure America as the leader in financial markets and cutting-edge technologies.”
“Agriculture is arguably one of the most critical sectors of our economy and I’m excited to help ensure America’s farmers, ranchers, and food suppliers have fair and liquid markets for managing their global risk,” said Brubaker. “I look forward to helping position the CFTC to have the tools and resources necessary to usher in the next Golden Age for America’s financial markets and push forward a pro-innovation agenda.”
Brubaker joins as the CFTC’s legislative workload grows. In January, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 12-11 to advance the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act, a bill that would establish the CFTC as the primary regulator for digital commodity spot markets. Selig has also launched ‘Project Crypto’ alongside Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins, an initiative aimed at clarifying jurisdictional lines between the two agencies on crypto asset oversight.
Since taking office, Selig has renamed the agency’s Technology Advisory Committee as the Innovation Advisory Committee and reversed prior proposals that would have restricted political and sports-related event contracts.
