Dr. Newsome has been Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) since Senate confirmation in December 2001. He has served as a Commissioner of the CFTC since August 1998. During his CFTC tenure, Dr. Newsome served as Chairman of both the technology and the agricultural advisory committees.

In addition to his responsibilities at the CFTC, Dr. Newsome serves as a member of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, along with the Secretary of the Treasury, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, and the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. More recently, Dr. Newsome was appointed to serve on the President's Corporate Fraud Task Force to coordinate corporate fraud investigations.

Dr. Newsome received his Bachelor of Science degree in food and resource economics from the University of Florida and his Masters of Science and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees from Mississippi State University.

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