Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez today named former Bureau of Competition Director William J. Baer and former Bureau of Consumer Protection Director David C. Vladeck the 2015 recipients of the Miles W. Kirkpatrick Award for Lifetime FTC Achievement, honoring their commitment to public service and their many significant contributions to the agency.
“I have the distinct honor of presenting this award to Bill Baer and David Vladeck for their distinguished leadership during their time at the agency and for their accomplished careers promoting our core missions of competition and consumer protection on behalf of all Americans,” Ramirez said.
Baer was Bureau Director from 1995 to 1999 and served in a variety of roles at the Commission from 1975 to 1980. During his tenure, the FTC experienced an unprecedented string of litigation victories, including successful challenges to the proposed Staples/Office Depot merger, the proposed mergers of four of the nation’s leading drug wholesalers, and the exclusionary practices of Toys R Us. Under his skilled leadership, the Commission set all-time records for mergers reviewed and challenged, and dramatically improved the effectiveness of divestiture orders in merger cases.
Vladeck was Bureau Director from 2009 through 2012. With his longstanding ties and commitment to public interest law, he forged partnerships with legal services providers and community organizations to increase the agency’s engagement with traditionally under-served consumers. Under his leadership, the FTC stopped hundreds of online marketing scams that targeted financially distressed consumers during the economic downturn and obtained record setting refund settlements against several national advertisers for making overhyped claims. During his tenure, the FTC developed a comprehensive framework for privacy and data security policy and law enforcement.
The Kirkpatrick Award was established in 2001 to honor the commitment and talent of individuals who have made lasting and significant contributions to the agency’s competition and consumer protection missions throughout their public and private careers. It is named after former Chairman Miles Kirkpatrick, who is noted for his distinguished legal career and leadership advocating for FTC revitalization and reform. Previous recipients of the award include Basil J. Mezines, Robert Pitofsky, Jodie Bernstein, Caswell O. Hobbs, III, Calvin J. Collier, Thomas B. Leary, Mary Gardiner Jones, Timothy J. Muris, William E. Kovacic, and Janet Dempsey Steiger.
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