Mozelle W. Thompson Confirmed as Federal Trade Commissioner

Mozelle W. Thompson was confirmed last night by the U.S. Senate as a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission to a term that expires in September, 2003. Thompson, who has already assumed the responsibilities of the office, was sworn in as Commissioner on December 17, 1997, when President Clinton appointed Mr. Thompson under the President's power to fill vacancies that exist during a recess of the Senate.

The Federal Trade Commission enforces federal laws and rules prohibiting unfair or deceptive practices or methods of competition. The FTC was created in 1914 and has five Commissioners.

Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Thompson most recently held the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, where he was responsible for overseeing domestic spending and credit policies, including the operations of the Federal Financing Bank and the Office of Government Financing.

Mr. Thompson was responsible for creating the Office of Privatization, which among its activities, provides guidance on the privatization of federal assets and operations. Mr. Thompson was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since April 1996. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary in August 1993.

Before joining the Treasury Department, Mr. Thompson served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel to the New York State Finance Agency and its four sister corporations. In addition, he was an adjunct associate professor at the Fordham University School of Law where he taught courses in municipal law and finance. Mr. Thompson also was an attorney with the New York firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom.

Mr. Thompson attended schools in West Babylon, New York, and is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School. He also holds an M.P.A. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. After graduating law school, Mr. Thompson served as law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge William M. Hoeveler in Miami, Florida.

Mr. Thompson has been active in a number of professional and civic organizations, including the Association of Black Princeton Alumni and the Executive Board of Practicing Attorneys for Law Students, a mentoring organization assisting African-American and Latino law students. He is a member of the bar in New York State and the District of Columbia.

Mr. Thompson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is the son of Charles and Eiko Suzaki Thompson of West Babylon, New York.