Washington, D.C. — Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Rostin Behnam today announced the appointment of Tanisha Cole Edmonds as the CFTC’s first Chief Diversity Officer.

In this role, she will provide leadership and executive direction on the CFTC's efforts to integrate and promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) at all levels of the agency's workforce, and its talent and business operations. She will oversee the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion.

“On behalf of the entire Commission, I warmly welcome Tanisha to the CFTC. She brings a wealth of experience in developing workplace diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility strategies,” said Chairman Rostin Behnam. “As one of my direct reports, Tanisha will advise my office on how the CFTC can better fulfill and build upon the CFTC’s Equal Opportunity Employer & Diversity Statement to support the recruitment and maintenance of a truly diverse CFTC workforce.”

“As I noted back in 2019 as a commissioner, hiring data shows the CFTC continues to fall short on this critical commitment, specifically when it comes to management level job opportunities. This may be undermining the success of the agency and its individual employees, and it needs to change,” Chairman Behnam continued.

“I am thrilled to join the CFTC as its first Chief Diversity Officer,” said Ms. Edmonds. “I look forward to developing and implementing a bold, innovative DEIA strategy that delivers results, drives accountability and effectively communicates the Chairman’s vision for DEIA as an enterprise strategy integral to achieving the CFTC’s mission.”

Prior to joining the CFTC, Ms. Edmonds served most recently as a senior executive at the U.S. Department of Interior as the Deputy Director for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer.

Ms. Edmonds also served as a Labor and Employment Law Attorney for the U.S. Postal Service and as a Technical Advisor for the U.S. Secret Service, where she served as the first technical consultant to senior leadership and as a liaison between the Office of Chief Counsel, Office of Human Resources and the Office of Equal Opportunity.

She began her career as an attorney at the Washington, D.C. boutique law firm Passman & Kaplan, P.C. where she litigated employment discrimination complaints before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Merit Systems Protection Board, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ms. Edmonds was also a contributing author to Passman & Kaplan’s 1st edition of the Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide.

Ms. Edmonds holds a B.A. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from Washington University’s School of Law. Ms. Edmonds is a member of both the Maryland and the District of Columbia bars.