Release: 5625-09
For Release: February 27, 2009

CFTC Acting Chairman Michael Dunn Announces the Appointment of Robert Holifield as Acting Director of External Affairs

Washington, D.C. – Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Acting Chairman Michael Dunn today announced the selection of Robert Holifield to serve as Acting Director of the Commission’s Office of External Affairs, effective immediately.

Holifield joined the CFTC in December 2007 as a Confidential Assistant to CFTC Commissioner Bart Chilton. Prior to joining Commissioner Chilton’s staff, Holifield served on the staff of Arkansas’s Senior U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln for eight years, serving most recently as the Senator’s Senior Policy Advisor on Agriculture and International Trade. Holifield also previously served on the staff of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as Associate Director for Rural Affairs.

In announcing the selection, Acting Chairman Dunn said, “I am extremely pleased that Robert has agreed to accept yet another challenging assignment at the CFTC. His unique qualifications, skills, and background coupled with his professionalism and appreciation of the important role the Commission plays in overseeing the futures and options markets that are so critically important to the U.S. economy, will serve the Commission and its constituents well.”

Holifield received a BA degree in Political Science from Arkansas State University and attended law school at the University of Arkansas Little Rock Law School.

Media Contacts
Robert Holifield
202-418-5080

R. David Gary
202-418-5085

Last Updated: February 27, 2009