Markets Wired

President Barack Obama intends to designate Edith Ramirez as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission effective Monday, March 4, 2013.  She takes over for outgoing Chairman Jon Leibowitz, who has served in the position since March 2, 2009.

“I am deeply honored at the opportunity to lead the Federal Trade Commission.  I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners and the able FTC staff to continue the agency’s proud history of promoting vigorous competition and protecting consumers,” Ramirez said.  “I also want to thank Chairman Leibowitz for his strong leadership.  I welcome the opportunity to build on his legacy of active enforcement of our antitrust and consumer protection laws.” 

Ramirez became a commissioner of the FTC on April 5, 2010.  At the FTC, she has focused on promoting competition and innovation in the technology and healthcare sectors, protecting vulnerable consumers from deceptive and unfair practices, and safeguarding consumer privacy. 

Prior to joining the FTC, Ramirez was a partner in the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, where she handled a broad range of complex business litigation, including successfully representing clients in intellectual property, antitrust, unfair competition, and false advertising matters.  From 2005 to 2010, Ramirez also served as the Vice President on the Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.  From 1993 to 1996, Ramirez was an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Los Angeles.  She began her career as a law clerk to the Hon. Alfred T. Goodwin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, from 1992 to 1993. 

Ramirez graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and holds an A.B. in History magna cum laude from Harvard University.  She is a native of Southern California.

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.  To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).  The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.  The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.  Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.