Leadership Changes at FTC

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today announced that David C. Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, is leaving the agency on December 31 to return to a faculty position at Georgetown University Law Center, and that Charles A. Harwood, who has been a Deputy Director in the Bureau for the past three years, will serve as Acting Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection. Chairman Leibowitz also announced that Eileen Harrington, the agency’s Executive Director, will retire at the end of year, and that Pat Bak, who currently serves as Deputy Executive Director, will serve as Acting Executive Director. The Office of Executive Director is responsible for the administration and management of the Commission, including its human capital, information technology, financial management, administrative services, and legal document processing and records management activities.

During Vladeck’s tenure, the agency also has taken decisive action against scams on the Internet, including stopping nearly $1 billion in online marketing fraud by shutting down bogus “free trial” offer schemes. Vladeck also created the Mobile Technology Unit to coordinate the agency’s mobile enforcement actions and policy work and established an undercover Mobile Technology Lab to investigate and capture evidence. In addition, during Vladeck’s tenure, the agency developed a comprehensive framework for privacy protection and brought a number of landmark enforcement actions to protect consumer privacy, including cases against Google and Facebook.