Washington, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced that Jaime L. Klima, the CFTC’s Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer, will depart the agency for a role in the private sector next month. Ms. Klima has served in her executive leadership role since joining the agency in July 2019, where in addition to being the lead advisor to Chairman and Chief Executive Heath P. Tarbert on legal, policy, and administrative matters, she has been responsible for managing the daily operations of the agency and overseeing its nearly 1,000 personnel.

“Jaime is a Team Tarbert original, having been with my office from the very beginning of my tenure at the CFTC. From our historic rulemaking and enforcement agenda to our efforts to enhance the agency’s culture and operational effectiveness, she’s been instrumental to every one of our many successes,” said Chairman Tarbert. “I couldn’t have picked a better person, manager, or attorney to help me lead this agency, and I’m confident she’ll excel in her future endeavors.”

“My time at the CFTC has been more rewarding than I could have imagined,” said Ms. Klima. “The pandemic made this year challenging, to say the least, but I’m incredibly proud of how the agency has risen to the occasion. Notwithstanding those headwinds, Chairman Tarbert’s strategic leadership has led us to tremendous success, and I’m grateful to have been a member of the team. I also thank the Commissioners and the agency staff for being such exceptional colleagues.” 

Prior to joining the CFTC in 2019, Ms. Klima spent seven years serving in a variety of senior legal and policy roles at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, most recently as Chief Counsel to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. She also spent nearly a decade working in private practice on legal and regulatory compliance matters for clients in the financial services sector. Ms. Klima holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and earned her master’s and juris doctor degrees from Duke University.