President Biden recently announced the nomination of Caroline D. Pham, JD '11, as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Ms. Pham is a Managing Director at Citigroup and Head of Market Structure for Strategic Initiatives in Citi's Institutional Clients Group.
The December 15, 2021, White House announcement states, “Caroline D. Pham is a recognized leader in financial services compliance and regulatory strategy and policy, focusing on capital markets and emerging issues such as digital innovation.”
Ms. Pham’s professional experience includes advising on key global issues such as prudential regulation and systemic risk, financial markets including currencies and commodities, fintech and digital assets, and environmental, social and governance. She has also led initiatives for Dodd-Frank Act implementation and other global financial regulatory reform. Read the full announcement of President Biden’s nomination here.
Ms. Pham has maintained her connection to GW Law’s Business and Finance Law program (BFL), and the Center for Law, Economics and Finance (C-LEAF), where she was very involved as a student.
"Caroline participated very actively in C-LEAF's programs during her law school years,” said Arthur E. Wilmarth, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Law. “She was president of the Banking and Securities Law Society, and she helped to organize many of C-LEAF's conferences and other events.” Ms. Pham has also served as a member of the BFL Advisory Council for several years, as well as serving as a Visiting Fellow and C-LEAF Associate.
“She interned for Commissioner Scott O'Malia of the CFTC during law school, and that formative experience led her to become an expert in derivatives regulation, a leader in Citigroup's derivatives operations, and a nominee for Commissioner of the CFTC,” said Professor Wilmarth. “Her career path exemplifies the outstanding opportunities that are available to GW Law students and the ability of our highly-motivated students to take full advantage of those opportunities.”
In addition to Ms. Pham’s nomination, GW Law alum, Graham Steele, JD ’06, was recently confirmed as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions.