OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
Henry Liu is the Director of the Bureau of Competition.
Laura Alexander, Tara Isa Koslov, Kyle Mach and Rahul Rao are Deputy Directors. Aylin Skroejer is Chief of Staff.
The Director’s Office is also home to the Bureau’s Litigation Group, a team of experienced litigators and litigation support professionals who provide training, support, and oversight of the Bureau’s litigation docket.
MERGERS I DIVISION
- Jordan Andrew, Acting Assistant Director
- Lisa DeMarchi Sleigh, Deputy Assistant Director
- James Weiss, Deputy Assistant Director
Mergers I reviews potentially anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions in health care-related industries, including branded and generic pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, medical devices, and consumer health products, as well as matters involving scientific, industrial, and consumer products. This division has also been active in the defense, aviation, and technology markets.
MERGERS II DIVISION
- Peggy Bayer Femenella, Assistant Director
- James Abell, Deputy Assistant Director
- Abby Dennis, Deputy Assistant Director
- Michael Lovinger, Deputy Assistant Director
Mergers II investigates potentially anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions in a wide range of industries, from semiconductors and other high-tech hardware to industrial chemicals, mining, commercial software, music, and video games. This division has successfully litigated several merger enforcement actions in federal and administrative court, including, Tronox/Cristal and Wilhelmsen/Drew Marine Group.
MERGERS III DIVISION
- Peter Richman, Assistant Director
- Jessica Drake, Deputy Assistant Director
- Brian Telpner, Deputy Assistant Director
Mergers III has successfully challenged anticompetitive mergers in industries as diverse as razors (Edgewell/Harry’s; P&G/Billie), online real estate listing services (CoStar/RentPath), mortgage loan origination systems and related technology (ICE/Black Knight), title insurance (Fidelity/Stewart), and rooftop aerial measurement products (Verisk/EagleView). In addition, Mergers III is the traditional home of many of the FTC’s investigations in oil and gas industries, gaining consent settlements for mergers and conduct involving the production and sale of crude oil and natural gas (EnCap/EP Energy; EQT/Quantum), retail gas stations (ACT (Circle K)/Holiday; 7-Eleven/Sunoco), terminals (Par Petroleum/Mid Pac), and pipelines (Enbridge/Spectra Energy).
MERGERS IV DIVISION
- Rohan Pai, Acting Assistant Director
- Karen Hunt, Deputy Assistant Director
- Stephen Rodger, Deputy Assistant Director
Mergers IV investigates potentially anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions involving health care providers, office supply distribution, food distribution, casino services, supermarkets, specialty retail stores, and consumer goods. This division has successfully litigated several cases in federal and administrative court, including Hackensack Meridian Health/Englewood Health; Sanford Health/Mid Dakota Clinic; Staples/Office Depot; Advocate Health Care/NorthShore University HealthSystem; Sysco/US Foods; and ProMedica Health System/St. Luke’s Hospital.
ANTICOMPETITIVE PRACTICES I DIVISION
- Geoffrey Green, Assistant Director
- Joseph Baker, Deputy Assistant Director
- Patricia McDermott, Deputy Assistant Director
Anticompetitive Practices I investigates potentially anticompetitive conduct in industries other than health care and pharmaceuticals. This division’s work involves not only stopping illegal conduct but also shaping the law and includes issues related to monopolization, exclusion of small and innovative rivals, abuse of intellectual property rights, and covenants not to compete.
ANTICOMPETITIVE PRACTICES II DIVISION
- Mark Woodward, Assistant Director
- Melissa Hill, Deputy Assistant Director
- Kenneth Merber, Deputy Assistant Director
Anticompetitive Practices II is the Bureau’s newest division and houses lawyers who possess a diverse set of backgrounds and deep knowledge of many different areas of antitrust law. This division investigates potentially anticompetitive conduct and actively litigates to enforce the antitrust laws. It also focuses on challenging monopolies and developing the law to reflect current economic realities and frequently collaborates with stakeholders throughout the agency, from economists to technologists to the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
HEALTH CARE DIVISION
- Bradley Albert, Acting Assistant Director
- Kara Monahan, Deputy Assistant Director
- Lauren Peay, Acting Deputy Assistant Director
Health Care investigates potentially anticompetitive conduct—including price-fixing, group boycotts, exclusive dealing, monopolization, and mergers—involving physicians and other health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals and other institutional providers. A major focus of this division is the Commission’s effort to stop conduct that unlawfully insulates branded drugs from competition from lower-cost generic drugs. This division also provides guidance on health care competition to policy makers, federal and foreign agencies, industry, and the public; much of this guidance is available on the Health Care webpages.
TECHNOLOGY ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
- Patricia Galvan, Assistant Director
- Krisha Cerilli, Deputy Assistant Director
- Helder Agostinho, Deputy Assistant Director
Technology Â鶹´«Ã½ investigates and litigates claims of anticompetitive conduct – including related to consummated acquisitions – in markets in which digital technology is an important dimension of competition, including online platforms, digital advertising, social networking, software, operating systems, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. This division also provides input to other parts of the agency on policy and enforcement issues involving digital markets and works with other Commission staff, including technologists, to develop a deep understanding of competitive dynamics in digital markets.
COMPLIANCE DIVISION
- Maribeth Petrizzi, Assistant Director
- Eric Rohlck, Deputy Assistant Director
- Jamie Towey, Deputy Assistant Director
Compliance investigates violations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and negotiates and enforces competition orders and appropriate remedies for unlawful mergers or anticompetitive practices.
PREMERGER NOTIFICATION OFFICE
- Robert Jones, Assistant Director
- Kate Walsh, Deputy Assistant Director
The Premerger Notification Office administers the HSR program for both the FTC and the DOJ. Experts in HSR law and practice, PNO staff conduct the initial review of transactions subject to the HSR Act, and if the filings raise a competitive issue, coordinate the clearance process between the FTC and the DOJ. PNO staff respond to thousands of calls each year about premerger filing requirements, and can be easily accessed by calling the main PNO office number, 202-326-3100. Visit the PNO pages on the website for more HSR information and advice.
OFFICE OF POLICY AND COORDINATION
- Kelly Signs, Assistant Director
- Synda Mark, Deputy Assistant Director
The Office of Policy and Coordination works with Bureau and Commission staff on speeches, testimony for congressional panels, appellate briefs, advisory opinions to help clarify FTC rules and decisions about competition issues, and briefing papers. This office is also charged with incorporating racial equity and social justice into the Bureau’s and Commission’s enforcement actions and policy decisions. OPC attorneys also answer general antitrust inquiries received through antitrust@ftc.gov.
NORTHEAST REGION
- Jonathan Platt, Acting Regional Director
Northeast Region, based in New York, leads merger and anticompetitive conduct investigations and litigations across an array of industries.
WESTERN COMPETITION GROUP
- Charles Harwood, Regional Director, Northwest Region
- Kerry O’Brien, Regional Director, Western Region
- Catherine Simonsen, Assistant Regional Director
Western Competition Group is a collaboration between competition staff in the Northwest Region (Seattle) and Western Region San Francisco. This group leads complex merger and anticompetitive conduct investigations and litigations.