Walt Lukken, President and CEO of FIA, announced today that after 20 years as FIA’s general counsel, Barbara Wierzynski has decided to take leave of this role at the end of 2014. In her 28-year career at FIA, Barbara played a key role in the growth of the organization from a small trade association to the industry leader of today. She was instrumental in shaping nearly three decades worth of Commodity Futures Trading Commission reauthorizations, expanding FIA’s focus to global issues, and guiding the industry through several watershed events, including the Barings crisis, the downfall of Lehman and the subsequent development of the Dodd-Frank Act. She was key in the advancement of FIA’s consumer-protection recommendations in the wake of the collapse of MF Global and Peregrine, which have now been adopted by regulators.
“At the end of the summer, Barbara advised me of her decision,” Lukken said. “I know this was not an easy one for her. She has worked tirelessly to protect and safeguard the integrity of our markets during her career. I have witnessed firsthand her strong commitment to the futures industry – in particular the lawyers and financial and operations experts who help shape and implement regulatory policy. She leaves a tremendous legacy and I am immensely grateful for her service to this industry. I am thankful that Barbara has agreed to serve as special counsel to me in the coming months.”
“With the leadership provided by Walt Lukken, the current board and the hard working committees and staff, I leave FIA in the best of hands,” Barbara said. “I want to thank Walt, former president John Damgard, past chairmen and members of the FIA board and staff, and the leaders of the FIA’s Law and Compliance Division, with whom I worked so closely over the years.”
FIA also announced the appointment of Allison Lurton as General Counsel, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Lurton has served as Deputy General Counsel of FIA for nearly two years. Before joining FIA, Lurton founded the derivatives practice at Covington & Burling and served for seven years at the CFTC in various capacities, including as counsel to Chairmen Gensler and Lukken and Commissioner O’Malia. With nearly 20 years of legal experience, Lurton began her career in commercial litigation and served for several years at the Department of Justice and in the CFTC’s Enforcement Division.
“I also want to congratulate Allison on her new role as General Counsel,” Lukken added. “Having worked with her in several capacities over the years, I am confident in her abilities to lead FIA’s legal and compliance community through the challenging issues that lie ahead.”
“I applaud Barbara for her 28 years of service and I look forward to assuming my new role as General Counsel of FIA,” Lurton said. “I intend to work closely with our members and the wider community to continue FIA’s work at this transformative time for our industry.”