FTC Announces Appointments to Agency Leadership Positions

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez announced three appointments to leadership positions in the agency.

“It’s gratifying to have such great additions to the FTC’s leadership team,” Ramirez said.  “I know they will assist the agency in advancing its mission on behalf of American consumers.”

Martin Gaynor, who will serve as Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics starting October 1, joins the agency from Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is a professor of economics and public policy and holds the E.J. Barone Chair in Health Systems Management.  Gaynor has an extensive teaching background and has received numerous awards for research in health care economics.  He earned doctoral  and master’s degrees in economics from Northwestern University, and an honors degree in economics from the University of California, San Diego.

David B. Robbins has rejoined the agency as Executive Director, having been managing director/chief operating officer for the Federal Communications Commission and associate administrator for the Small Business Administration’s Office of Management and Administration.  He previously served  as an assistant director, attorney, and senior program manager in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.  Robbins earned a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law and a bachelor degree from Rutgers University.  The Office of Executive Director is responsible for the administration and management of the Commission. 

Thomas N. Dahdouh has been named Regional Director of the FTC’s Western Region offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, having served as Assistant Regional Director from September 2012 to May 2013.   He had been a staff attorney in the San Francisco office for 14 years, handling antitrust and consumer protection matters, and previously served as an Assistant to the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, and as an Attorney Advisor to former FTC Commissioners Dennis Yao and Christine Varney.  Dahdouh is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale University.

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