The FTC is an independent agency that
reports to Congress on its actions. The Commission is headed by five
Commissioners, nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate,
each serving a seven-year term. The President chooses one Commissioner
to act as Chairman. No more than three Commissioners can be of the
same political party. The current Chairman and Commissioners are:
FTC Chairman Timothy J. Muris
A Republican, he began his term as Chairman
on June 4, 2001. Muris has held three previous positions at the Commission:
Assistant to the Director of the Office of Policy Planning and Evaluation
(1974 to1976), Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection (1981
to 1983) and Director of the Bureau of Competition (1983 to 1985).
After leaving the FTC in 1985, Muris
served with the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management
and Budget for three years, and afterward, as Of Counsel with the
law firm of Collier, Shannon, Rill and Scott (1992 to 2000) and Howrey,
Simon, Arnold and White (2000 to 2001). Muris joined George Mason
University School of Law as a Foundation Professor in 1988 and was
interim dean of the law school from 1996 to 1997.
A member of the American Bar Association’s
Antitrust Section, Muris has written widely on antitrust, consumer
protection, regulatory, and budget issues. In 1981, he served as the
Deputy Counsel to the Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief.
FTC Commissioner Sheila F. Anthony
A Democrat, she was sworn in as a Commissioner
on September 30, 1997. She served as Assistant Attorney General for
the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Department of Justice from
1993 to 1995. As Assistant Attorney General, Anthony was the liaison
between the Department and Congress, and the liaison to the White
House Legislative Affairs Office. In addition, she was responsible
for implementing the strategy to carry out the Department’s legislative
initiatives. Prior to government service, she practiced law at Dow,
Lohnes and Albertson in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in
intellectual property law, including trademark, copyright, unfair
competition, litigation, licensing, and technology transfer.
FTC Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson
A Democrat, he was sworn in as a Commissioner
on December 17, 1997. Thompson most recently held the position of
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Treasury
overseeing domestic spending and credit policies. Prior to joining
the Treasury, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel
to the New York State Finance Agency. He also was an attorney with
the firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom in New York. Thompson
has been president of the International Marketing Supervision Network
(IMSN), an international consumer protection enforcement association,
and also Vice Chairman of the OECD Consumer Policy Committee. Thompson
has taught at the Fordham Law School and Princeton University’s
Woodrow Wilson School
FTC Commissioner Orson Swindle
A Republican, he was sworn in as a Commissioner
on December 18, 1997. He has had a distinguished military career and
served in the Reagan Administration from 1981 to 1989 directing financial
assistance programs to economically distressed rural and municipal
areas of the country. As Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Development,
he managed the Department of Commerce’s national economic development
efforts, directing seven offices across the country. He was State
Director of the Farmers' Home Administration for the U.S. Department
of Agriculture financing rural housing, community infrastructure,
businesses, and farming.
FTC Commissioner Thomas B. Leary
A Republican, he was sworn in on November
17,1999. From 1983 to 1999, he had been a partner at Hogan and Hartson,
where he practiced principally in the areas of antitrust and trade
regulation. Before becoming a partner at Hogan and Hartson, he was
the Assistant General Counsel of General Motors, with overall responsibility
for antitrust, consumer protection and commercial law matters. He
also served as an Air Intelligence Officer on active duty in the United
States Navy from 1952 to 1955.
Federal Trade Commission
