Joint Center Applauds the Nomination of Kristin N. Johnson to the Securities and Exchange Commission and Urges Swift Senate Confirmation 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 13, 2026

Contact: Kennedy Fortner, kennedy.fortner@jointcenter.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump nominated former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner to be a Member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In response, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies issued the following statement:

“The Joint Center applauds the nomination of Kristin N. Johnson to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and we urge the Senate to confirm her without delay,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. “Commissioner Johnson is one of the nation’s most respected experts on financial markets. She has worked as a regulator, a scholar, and a market practitioner. The Senate confirmed her unanimously to the CFTC in 2022, and she served her full term protecting customers, strengthening market integrity, and preparing regulators for the risks of digital assets and artificial intelligence. That experience is exactly what the SEC needs right now. We appreciate Senator Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) leadership in advocating for her nomination.”

Johnson served as a CFTC Commissioner from March 2022 through September 2025. While there, she led rulemaking on risk management for clearinghouses, cyber resilience, recovery, and wind-down planning. After the collapse of FTX, she warned of serious gaps in customer protection, including conflicts of interest, weak risk management, and a lack of transparency. The Joint Center cited those warnings in its recent analysis of digital asset legislation. Before joining the CFTC, Johnson was the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. She also practiced at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and served as a vice president and assistant general counsel at J.P. Morgan Chase.

“Black investors and savers have a great deal at stake in how our capital markets are policed,” Asante-Muhammad added. “As more Black Americans enter the markets, including through crypto and other new products, they need a regulator that takes investor protection seriously. Diverse leadership at the agencies that write the rules of our economy matters, too. The Joint Center has long worked to expand Black representation in senior economic policymaking roles, and we were proud to support Commissioner Johnson’s past nominations. A bipartisan Commission with her expertise will be better equipped to protect every investor. We look forward to working with her and urge the Senate Banking Committee to move her nomination quickly.”

The White House sent the nomination to the Senate on Nov. 12, 2026. It is for a term expiring June 5, 2029.

About the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. We are the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. We use evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies.