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36“In general, the reason I use pop-cultural references, movies or music, is I want average audiences to understand these markets, these derivative markets, because they are so important to folks every single day.”> Continued from Page 35Q&A: Bart Chilton Wants to Harmonize Regulations Around the WorldQ: How’s life in the private sector? It’s been a long time since you’ve not worked for the government, right?A: It’s like waking up on Pluto! You’re no longer a planet, the terrain’s different, the language is different, and the humanoids, while different, are very nice.Of course, I don’t need my health care [chuckles] because I’ve got a full retirement from government, whatever “full” means.I’m here [at DLA Piper] and I’m enjoying it. It’s by and large a continuation of what I’ve done for 30 years in and around government. And that’s trying to help people figure out how government works, how it doesn’t work, ways to work with it, around it, through it. And so, I’m really digging it so far.Q: How did you get to where you are? How did you get from foreign policy and farm policy to financial policy?A: Well, sort of happenstance in a number of ways. I came to Washington in ’85 and I was working on foreign policy.I did that for a few years on the House side. Then one of my bosses went to the Agriculture Department and wanted to take me with. So I became the senior policy adviser on rural development. Then that expanded, I got promoted, became deputy chief of staff for [Agriculture] Secretary Glickman during the Clinton administration. When [then-Vice President Al] Gore didn’t get elected, I went to Capitol Hill and did agriculture for Tom Daschle [Democratic senator from South Dakota at the time].And that involved a little bit of the commodity futures trading reauthorization, and I had done some CFTC-related work.As a matter of fact, the first amendment that I wrote was in 1989, and it amended the Commodity Exchange Act. So, I’d been tangentially involved with the agency and these markets. The futures markets are indispensable for the agriculture community to hedge their risk.After Daschle lost [his bid for re-election in 2004], I went to work for the National Farmers Union. It was the only time I was a lobbyist.I enjoyed working for farmers, particularly family farmers, but it wasn’t my favorite thing to do. And then the commissioner job at the CFTC became available. I was asked by President [George W.] Bush if I wanted to be nominated, and I said yes.I was the longest-serving commissioner — the only one who had been there before, during and after the 2008 financial collapse. So, it’s been an interesting journey.Q: Was the CFTC a learning-on-the-job post or were you well- versed in the issues before you got there?A: I knew some basics, but I was by no stretch a financial expert on derivatives.I knew about derivatives, I knew how they were used, I knew the law, but I didn’t have any practical experience, other than talking with people who traded in the markets. So, I learned a whole lot on the job.One of the things that you do when you work in Washington, particularly when you work on Capitol Hill, [is that] you are flexible and you are able to learn issues rather quickly because they’re coming at you very fast.So when I mention foreign policy or farm stuff, I’ve probably done another 10 or 12 issues: trade, budget, education, labor, science and technology, veterans, transportation, energy, environment.And so the financial stuff was another one that I had to jump in and grasp.Q: You were pretty tough when you left the commission, talking about a lack of budget and a lack of people to do the job properly. Is that still true? Were you listened to or were you a lonely voice?A: I think I was a fairly lonely voice. I talked about the budget pressures for years. And I reluctantly supported a transactionfee [for derivatives].> Continued on Page 37AWARDS SUPPLEMENT 2014 | FTF NEWS MAGAZINE