About the Speakers

Rep. Jim Himes

Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives where he is serving his seventh term. He serves as the Chair of the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth and the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee.

Jim grew up as the child of a single working mom in a small town. As a member of Congress, Jim works hard to provide all American children the same opportunities he had to succeed: access to a first-rate public school, affordable and effective health care, a decent and safe home, and a supportive community.

Born in Lima, Peru in 1966 to American parents, he spent the early years of his childhood in Peru and Colombia while his father worked for the Ford Foundation and UNICEF. As an American abroad, Jim grew up fluent in both Spanish and English and was raised with an awareness of the unique position of the United States in the world. At the age of ten, Jim moved with his mother and sisters to the United States.

Jim graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School and then attended Harvard University. After completing his undergraduate work, Jim earned a Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled him to attend Oxford University in England where he continued his studies of Latin America, including research in El Salvador.

Prior to his service in Congress, Jim ran the New York City branch of The Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of urban poverty. Jim’s team led the way in financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York metropolitan region, often using new green technologies to achieve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs.

Jim’s experience at Enterprise spurred his involvement in politics. Putting his expertise in affordable housing to work, Jim served as a Commissioner of the Greenwich Housing Authority, ultimately chairing the board and leading it through a much-needed program of reforms. Jim went on to become an elected member of his town's finance board, setting tax and budget policy for Greenwich. Jim has also served as Chair of his local Democratic Town Committee, organizing others in the community to become more active in the political process.

Jim began his professional career at Goldman Sachs & Co. where he worked his way up to Vice President over the course of a 12-year career. There he worked extensively in Latin America and headed the bank’s telecommunications technology group. Jim lives in Greenwich with his wife Mary (and not frequent enough visits from his daughters Emma and Linley).

Rep. Tom Emmer

Congressman Tom Emmer was sworn in for his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 6, 2015. He is currently serving his fourth term.

Tom was elected by his fellow Republican colleagues to join the House GOP Leadership team as the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee for the 116th Congress and again for the 117th Congress. Currently, he sits on the House Financial Services Committee. He is also a member of the Republican Deputy Whip Team and the House Republican Steering Committee.

Born in 1961, Tom grew up in Minnesota and attended St. Thomas Academy. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and his JD from William Mitchell College of Law.

After practicing law for several years, he opened his own law firm. The next 20 years were spent balancing family, business, coaching hockey, and serving on the city councils in Independence and Delano.

Before coming to Congress, he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004-2008.

He and his wife Jacquie have been married for over 30 years and have seven children. They reside in Delano.

Matt Swinehart

Matt Swinehart is the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Financial Markets (IFM) and Director of the Office of IFM at the U.S. Treasury. The office leads Treasury’s international engagement on financial regulation and stability, including in the G7, G20, and the Financial Stability Board, and through bilateral and regional dialogues. Matt previously was a trade negotiator and Senior Counsel for International Trade and Financial Regulatory Policy. Before Treasury, he was an international arbitration, litigation, and regulatory associate at Covington & Burling in DC, a financial institutions and litigation associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York, and a law clerk to the Honorable Patrick E. Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before practicing law, Matt was an environmental engineer. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a B.A. in Environmental Engineering from Rice University, and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.

Salman Banaei

Salman Banaei leads the company's public policy strategy and engagements with policymakers in the Americas. Prior to joining Chainalysis earlier this year, Salman was Co-Head of Regulatory Affairs at IHS Markit and Global Head of Blockchain.
Before joining IHS Markit in 2014, Mr. Banaei served at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) where he most recently served as Senior Counsel and Policy Adviser to CFTC Commissioner Bart Chilton. Before advising the late Commissioner Chilton, he worked in the Division of Market Oversight as an Attorney/Economist and earned Chairman Gary Gensler's Staff Excellence Award in 2011.

Mr. Banaei is a member of the CFTC's Market Risk Advisory Committee and serves on the District of Columbia's Financial Services Innovation Council. Mr. Banaei holds degrees from the IFP School (École Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs), Colorado School of Mines, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and University of Virginia.