Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro M. Bedoya announced four inaugural legal appointments: Danielle Estrada as an attorney-advisor for consumer protection, Max Miller as an attorney-advisor for competition, Aaron Rieke as chief of staff and as an attorney-advisor, and Catherine Sanchez as attorney-advisor for competition. Together, this team brings more than 35 years of civil law enforcement experience.
"There is a convention in Washington that all credit goes to the principal, rather than their staff,” said Commissioner Bedoya. “We’d like to do things differently. I could not be more proud of this group of seasoned civil servants.”
Danielle Estrada will join as attorney advisor for consumer protection. Danielle is part of the Bureau of Consumer Protection's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. She joined the FTC in 2013 as an attorney in the Division of Marketing Practices, where she handled fraud investigations and litigation matters. Danielle later served as counsel to the Bureau of Consumer Protection's Director before becoming an attorney advisor to former Chairman Joseph Simons. Before coming to the FTC, Danielle was an associate at Covington & Burling and a law clerk for Judge Peter J. Messitte of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Danielle received her A.B. in History from Harvard and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Max Miller will join as attorney advisor for competition. Max has served the past seven years as an assistant attorney general enforcing antitrust and consumer protection laws with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. As an Assistant AG, Max participated in a wide range of antitrust litigation, investigations, and merger reviews, with a primary focus on the agriculture, tech, and healthcare sectors. Formerly, Max was a litigation associate with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Chicago and London, where he worked with European clients in matters involving U.S. federal and state government investigations. Max is a 2004 Truman Scholar and is a graduate of Columbia Law School and the University of Florida.
Aaron Rieke will join as chief of staff and attorney advisor. Aaron joins the FTC from Upturn, where he served as Managing Director. At Upturn, Aaron's practice focused at the intersection of consumer protection, civil rights, and technology. He brings more than a decade of experience advising lawmakers, regulators, state attorneys general, and civil society organizations. He has conducted algorithmic audits and published widely-cited computer science and policy research. Aaron previously served as an attorney in the FTC's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, and as a fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Aaron is a graduate of Berkeley Law and Pacific Lutheran University.
Catherine Sanchez will join as attorney advisor for competition. Catherine has served as an attorney in the Bureau of Competition’s Mergers I division since 2007. During her time with the FTC, she has worked on several significant competition matters, including most recently as a member of the Lockheed/Aerojet litigation team. In addition, she served as Counsel to the Director of the Bureau of Competition. Catherine received her B.A. in economics and J.D. from The George Washington University.