General Session Speakers
SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers is extremely pleased to announce that Bart Chilton, Robert Clarke and John Hofmeister will be keynote speakers at the Business Meeting and General Session at the 2010 SIGMA Spring Convention to be held April 29 – May 2 in Tucson, AZ.
Bart Chilton was nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the US Senate in 2007. In 2009, he was renominated by President Obama and reconfirmed by the Senate. He currently serves as the Chairman of the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee (EEMAC). His career spans 25 years in government service—working on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, and serving the Executive Branch during the Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations. Prior to joining the CFTC, Mr. Chilton was the Chief of Staff and Vice President for Government Relations at the National Farmers Union where he represented average family farmers. In 2005, Mr. Chilton was a Schedule C political appointee of President Bush at the U.S. Farm Credit Administration where he served as an Executive Assistant to the Board. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Chilton was a Senior Advisor to Senator Tom Daschle, the Democrat Leader of the United States Senate, where he worked on myriad issues including, but not limited to, agriculture and transportation policy.
Robert Clarke is a Senior Partner at the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP in Houston, Texas. He regularly assists major banks in matters involving state and federal banking laws, regulations and supervisory agencies, mergers and acquisitions of financial institutions, strategic planning, independent counsel to boards of directors, new financial services products, management of regulatory risk and litigation support as an expert witness. As the founder of Bracewell & Giuliani’s Global Financial Services Practice, he deals regularly with major banking institutions in the U.S. and around the world. He has extensive experience in the ownership and operation of banks, banking laws and regulations, and bank supervision. Mr. Clarke was appointed by the President as U.S. Comptroller of the Currency from 1985 through 1992, supervising approximately 5,000 nationally chartered commercial banks which accounted for approximately two-thirds of the assets of the U.S. commercial banking system. He was a member of the boards of directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Resolution Trust Corporation.
John Hofmeister is the retired President of Shell Oil Company and the Founder and CEO of the not-for-profit (501(c) (3)), nation-wide membership association, Citizens for Affordable Energy. This Washington, D.C. registered public policy advocacy firm exists to promote sound U.S. energy security solutions for the nation, including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policy, and public education on energy issues. Hofmeister was named President of Houston-based Shell Oil Company in March 2005, heading the U.S. Country Leadership Team, which included the leaders of all Shell businesses operating in the United States. He became President after serving as Group Human Resource Director of the Shell Group, based in The Hague, The Netherlands. As Shell President, Hofmeister launched an extensive outreach program, unprecedented in the energy industry, to discuss critical global energy challenges. A business leader who has observed and participated in the inner workings of general industries for more than 30 years, Hofmeister also has held key positions in General Electric, Nortel and AlliedSignal (now Honeywell International). Hofmeister serves as the Chairman of the National Urban League and is a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Foreign Policy Association and United States Energy Association.
