News | Edith Ramirez Named U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair

About U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Ramirez

Edith Ramirez was sworn in as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission on April 5, 2010, to a term that expires on September 25, 2015.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ramirez was a partner in the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, where she handled a broad range of complex business litigation, including successfully representing clients in intellectual property, antitrust, unfair competition, and Lanham Act matters. She also has extensive appellate litigation experience.

From 1993-1996, Ramirez was an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Los Angeles. She clerked for the Hon. Alfred T. Goodwin in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1992-1993.

Throughout her career, Ramirez has been active in a variety of professional and community activities. Most recently, she served as the Vice President on the Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest municipal utility.

Ramirez graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude (1992), where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and holds an A.B. in History magna cum laude from Harvard University (1989).

Ramirez is a native of Southern California.

Comments from The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) issued the following statement congratulating Edith Ramirez on her appointment to Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission:

“NALEO congratulates Edith Ramirez on her appointment to Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). An accomplished intellectual property attorney with extensive experience in complex business litigation and current FTC Commissioner, Ramirez will bring a wealth of talent and expertise to her new role.

“Ramirez was first appointed Commissioner of the FTC in April 2010. In that role, she has demonstrated strong leadership and a continued commitment to serving the interests of the Latino community and all consumers. As Commissioner, Ramirez oversaw the shutdown of an unauthorized immigration services provider that was targeting Spanish speakers and other vulnerable groups in Maryland. Ramirez also led an effort to ensure protections were in place to combat deceptive mortgage advertisements, overseeing the creation of a new rule in 2011 that required consumer communications be transparent and clear.

“Prior to serving on the Commission, Ramirez worked as a private-sector attorney and served as the Vice President on the Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

“We applaud the President for appointing a talented and experienced Latina to serve as Chair of the FTC. We look forward to working with Ramirez on issues of importance to the Latino community in her new role, and ask for the President to demonstrate his continued commitment to a diverse Administration in future appointments.”