April 13, 2016

CFTC Chairman Announces Dan Rutherford as Director of the Office of Customer Education and Outreach

Washington, DC — U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Timothy Massad announced today that Dan Rutherford has joined the agency as its first Director of the Office of Customer Education and Outreach. Rutherford joins the CFTC with nearly two decades of personal finance writing and financial education experience.

“I am very pleased that Dan Rutherford has joined the CFTC as its first Director of the Office of Customer Education and Outreach. Dan brings a wealth of experience to this position, particularly given his role leading many of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s consumer education initiatives,” said Chairman Massad. “Dan’s expertise will be an invaluable asset to the CFTC’s work helping consumers make smarter investment decisions and better identify potential fraud.”

Prior to joining the CFTC, Rutherford was among the team that organized the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Office of Financial Education. The bureau was created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection act, signed by President Obama in July 2010 and launched as in independent agency in July 2011. Mr. Rutherford, as the senior content specialist in the Office of Financial Education, led the CFPB’s efforts in providing an array of educational materials that consumers use today to make more informed financial decisions. He also led a number of national educational initiatives while at the bureau.

Before joining the CFPB, Mr. Rutherford was an associate director of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) Office of Investor Education, where he crafted a number of marketing and educational campaigns for the authority and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. His work focused on helping older Americans to spot investment fraud and provided them with tools to avoid it. He also assisted military service members and their families by showing them how to effectively manage their income while coping with the financial pressures of deployments and relocations.

Mr. Rutherford was also editor of Kiplinger.com, the website for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. During his time at Kiplinger’s he created the website’s library of financial fundamentals, led the development of numerous online calculators and consumer tools, and wrote consumer articles addressing various financial topics.

“It’s a great privilege to be the first director for this office and I thank Chairman Massad for giving me this honor and responsibility,” said Mr. Rutherford. “The complexity of the derivatives marketplace makes it easier for bad actors to take advantage of individual investors, either by fraud or by making the terms, costs or risks of a transaction less clear. I look forward to bringing a holistic educational approach to the CFTC that I firmly believe will help individuals avoid missteps and make better decisions about their money.”

Mr. Rutherford received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and is a veteran of the United States Air Force.

Last Updated: April 13, 2016