Karen K. Wuertz is a Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Communications at the National Futures Association − the self-regulatory organization for the U.S. derivatives industry. She is responsible for NFA's international activities, member and investor educational initiatives, corporate communications, media relations and legislative issues.

Throughout her more than two-decade career at NFA, Wuertz has worked in the areas of rulemaking, examinations, investigations, system development and enforcement. Part of her role includes working with international regulators and she is currently chairman of the Affiliate Members Consultative Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). This committee is comprised of 68 members who represent securities and derivatives markets and other market infrastructures, self-regulatory organizations (SROs), investor protection funds and compensation funds, with an appropriate interest in financial regulation. She previously co-chaired an IOSCO subcommittee to develop and publish a formal paper entitled “Model for Effective Self-Regulation."

Wuertz joined NFA in 1983 as an auditor and rose to the position of compliance manager before leaving NFA in 1994 to serve as assistant to the chief financial officer at the Chicago Stock Exchange. In 1996, Wuertz returned to NFA as Special Projects Manager and was subsequently promoted to Vice President of Strategic Planning and Communications.