John Damgard celebrated 25 years as president of the Futures Industry Association in 2007. He has been the voice of the futures industry before Congress, regulatory agencies in the U.S. and abroad, and the public. He has guided the association and the industry through stock market crashes, 10? CFTC reauthorizations, many attempts to levy transactions taxes, the Barings Crisis, September 11, 2001 and fought against unnecessary regulation. He is also founder, past president and a member of the board of the Institute for Financial Markets and the FIA Futures Hall of Fame. Prior to joining the FIA in 1982, Damgard directed the Washington office of ACLI International, a leading commodity merchant firm active in cash and futures markets worldwide. He served as Deputy Assistant and Acting Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and was responsible for the major marketing and regulatory functions at the USDA. During his stint at the USDA, he was responsible for obtaining exclusive jurisdiction for the futures markets. Prior to his service at the Department of Agriculture, Damgard served on the White House staff as Assistant to the Vice President during the Nixon/Ford Administrations and previously was active in banking, farming and manufacturing in Illinois.
