She previously served as Commissioner on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). She was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for her first term in 2002, and a second term in 2004. She served as Acting Chairman from July 26, 2004 until July 11, 2005. Per end of July 2006, she left the Commission to join NERA.

Brown-Hruska served as a member of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, was Chair of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s Website Development Committee, and was the Chairman of the CFTC’s Technology Advisory Committee.

She holds a Ph.D. in economics (1994) from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dr. Brown-Hruska has authored numerous scholarly and applied papers based on her research in the areas of derivatives and market microstructure. She published articles in the The Euromoney Derivatives & Risk Management Handbook, Swiss Derivatives Review, and the Futures and Derivatives Law Report. She was awarded the Key Women in Energy's Global Leadership Award in 2004.

Prior to coming to the CFTC, Dr. Brown-Hruska was an Assistant Professor of Finance at George Mason University’s School of Management (1998 – 2002) and the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University (1995-1998). Courses taught by Professor Brown-Hruska included Risk Management and Financial Innovation, International Finance, Venture Capital and Private Finance, Investments, and Financial Markets.

A native of Winchester, Virginia, she lives with her husband Donald Hruska and their eight-year old son, Jacob, in Burke, Virginia.

See also: 10:45 am ‘Structured Products - going global?’