WASHINGTON — Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig today announced two senior staff appointments in his office.

Michael Passalacqua joins the CFTC as senior advisor to Chairman Selig. Prior to joining the Commission, Passalacqua practiced law in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he focused on financial regulatory matters involving crypto assets and blockchain technologies. In this role, he helped obtain industry-wide no-action relief concerning the use of state-chartered trust companies as crypto asset custodians. Prior to Simpson Thacher, Passalacqua practiced law at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and was a member of the firm’s Digital Works practice. Earlier in his career, he served as assistant general counsel at a crypto asset capital markets firm where he advised on a range of crypto asset regulatory and transactional matters. Passalacqua received his J.D., cum laude, from Pace University School of Law and B.A. in political science from Fordham University.

Cal Mitchell joins the CFTC as senior advisor to Chairman Selig. Previously, Mitchell served as special advisor in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, leading the agency’s nominations portfolio to confirm President Trump’s nominees through the U.S. Senate. Before joining the Trump Administration, he worked in the Office of U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty as the Senator’s personal aide where he also advised on communications strategy and external affairs. A native of Atlanta, Mitchell graduated summa cum laude from Hampden-Sydney College, earning membership into Phi Beta Kappa.