The Federal Trade Commission’s William E. Kovacic will take the reigns as chairman, following the March 30, 2008 departure of Deborah Platt Majoras. In her statement, Majoras said that she has “been privileged to stand with my fellow commissioners and the talented staff in our efforts to protect consumers and promote competition in our highly effective free market system.”
Kovacic has a long history with the FTC, having served in several capacities at the agency. He officially joined the FTC in 1979, working first with the Bureau of Competition’s Planning Office and later as an attorney-advisor to Commissioner George W. Douglas.
After leaving the FTC in 1983, Kovacic spent time as an associate with the Washington, D.C.-based first firm Bryan Cave and as a professor at the George Mason University School of Law, before returning to the FTC in June 2001 as general council. Kovacic was later sworn in as Commissioner on January 4, 2006. In a statement, President George W. Bush applauded Kovacic for being a free market champion and a highly regarded advisor to emerging global competition authorities.
