Â鶹´«Ã½

Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today announced four appointments to leadership positions in the agency. Andrew I. Gavil will join the FTC from Howard University School of Law and serve as Director of the Office of Policy Planning (OPP), and Steven M. Bellovin, from Columbia University, will become Chief Technologist. William H. Efron became Director of the FTC's Northeast Regional Office in June. Richard M. Brunell will join the agency from the American Antitrust Institute as Senior Advisor for Competition Matters.

"The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission has a history of having the best and brightest work here, and we are continuing that tradition of excellence with these appointments," Leibowitz said, adding, "We are fortunate that we have had so many talented individuals at our agency, and incredibly lucky that we will continue to benefit from the tremendous expertise of former OPP Director Susan DeSanti and outgoing Chief Technologist Ed Felten in their new positions."

Office of Policy Planning Director Professor Andrew I. Gavil
Professor Gavil has taught law courses at Howard since 1989, and has written and spoken extensively in the U.S. and abroad on various aspects of antitrust law, policy, jurisdiction, and procedure. He holds a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and a B.A. from Queens College, CUNY. OPP helps the Commission develop and implement long-range competition and consumer protection policy initiatives and advises staff on cases raising new or complex policy and legal issues. Gavil will replace Susan S. DeSanti, who has moved to San Francisco, where she continues to support the FTC's competition and consumer protection mission and the active docket in the agency's Western Regional Office. OPP Deputy Director Tara Isa Koslov is serving as Acting OPP Director until Gavil joins the FTC on September 4, 2012.

Chief Technologist Steven M. Bellovin
Professor Bellovin will advise the agency on evolving technology and policy issues. He has taught computer science at Columbia since 2005. During more than 20 years at Bell Labs and AT&T Labs Research, he focused on network security firewalls, protocol failures, routing security, and cryptographic protocols. Bellovin is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a B.A. from Columbia University. On September 4, 2012, he will replace Edward W. Felten, who is returning to Princeton University and will consult for the FTC.

Northeast Region Director William H. Efron
Efron became the Northeast Regional Director in June 2012, having served as Acting Director since March. He joined the FTC in 2009, having been an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Efron holds a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. The FTC's Northeast Regional Office works with the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection to conduct investigations and litigation, recommend cases, and advise state and local officials on the competitive implications of proposed actions. Efron replaced Leonard L. Gordon, who entered private practice after seven years of service with the FTC.

Senior Advisor for Competition Matters Richard M. Brunell
On September 4, 2012, Brunell will join the FTC to work on a variety of competition matters, including advocacy and appellate matters. He will be working with the Chairman's Office, the Office of General Counsel, and the Bureau of Competition. Brunell has been the Director of Legal Advocacy of the American Antitrust Institute since 2007 and taught antitrust law at Boston University and other law schools. Brunell previously practiced law at Foley Hoag LLP in Boston, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, and the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Swarthmore College.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.  Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.