Release: 5108-05
For Release: August 16, 2005

CFTC Chairman Reuben Jeffery III Announces the Appointment of Charley Cooper to be Chief of Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Reuben Jeffery III announced the selection of Charley Cooper to be his Chief of Staff, effective immediately.

Mr. Cooper comes to the CFTC from the Department of Defense where he has served for the last year and a half as the Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary. In that capacity – first for Secretary Paul Wolfowitz from February 2004 to May 2005, and then for Acting Secretary Gordon England until the present – he acted as the Deputy’s spokesman and counseled the Secretary on various legal and policy issues affecting the Department and the Administration’s global war on terrorism. In recognition of his efforts, Secretary Wolfowitz awarded Mr. Cooper the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in May 2005.

Prior to government service, Mr. Cooper worked as an attorney in the litigation department of Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Washington, D.C. office.

In announcing the selection, Chairman Jeffery said, “We are extremely fortunate to have an individual with Charley’s unique qualifications, skills, and background join the CFTC. With Charley’s able assistance, I expect the CFTC to continue to protect successfully the public from fraud, manipulation, and abusive trading practices and to foster open, competitive, and financially sound futures and option markets.”

Mr. Cooper received both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University.

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