Thank you all for participating in the first installment of the CFTC’s 2025 Leadership Speaker Series. I’ve always believed one of the keys to continued success as an individual or as an organization is a commitment to life-long learning.

As a former intern and staffer at the CFTC, I was fortunate to participate in valuable professional development opportunities that enhanced both leadership skills and technical expertise that contribute to not only our shared CFTC mission, but also our professional acumen as individuals. I’ve been working on this project for the past couple years and I’m excited to launch this initiative to expand access to similar opportunities for staff now. 

I also want to thank the Division of Administration and Shivon Kershaw for coordinating with my office over the last several months to make today’s speaker series possible.

The rapid evolution of new technology is opening a new chapter in how our markets can function and how financial services firms do business. And it also has implications for the tools we use here at the CFTC to do our jobs. It is imperative for the CFTC to keep up with these developments in our markets and find ways to leverage new tools to continue to efficiently and effectively execute our mission.

We are so fortunate to be joined by Professor Sarah Hammer, Executive Director at the Wharton School, Academic Director and Adjunct Professor of University of Pennsylvania Law School and CEO of the Wharton Cypher Accelerator, which supports leading global businesses that are leveraging financial technology. Prof. Hammer has held many leadership roles in financial services and financial regulation—too many to name!  But I do want to highlight a few.

Prof. Hammer was previously Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions and Director of the Office of Financial Institutions Policy at the US Department of the Treasury. In this role, she led the Department’s policy responsibilities involving financial institutions, as well as oversaw the Federal Insurance Office and the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Compliance Policy.

She also was Managing Director of the Center for Innovation in Finance and Senior Director of the Alternative Investments Program at Wharton. From cybersecurity to digital assets to artificial intelligence, she is one of the preeminent thought leaders on the nexus of technology and innovation and the financial services sector.

I’ve had the privilege of attending and participating in several of Prof. Hammer’s presentations and I know today’s discussion will be similarly engaging and insightful.

Thank you, Prof. Hammer, for sharing your time and expertise with the CFTC. And once again, thank you to all our staff for attending.