Michael R. Baye, who served as the director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics for the past year and a half, is leaving the FTC on December 31 to return to Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.  Pauline Ippolito will take over as director of the FTC’s Bureau of Economics.  According to the press release:

The director serves as the agency’s chief economist, supervises economic analysis at the Commission, and advises the Commission on economic policy matters.

“I am grateful to Mike for his exceptional work at the FTC, his excellent service, and his outstanding achievements. Mike ensured that the FTC made investments in building knowledge that will serve this agency well for decades to come. We have benefitted greatly from his expertise and his insight, his leadership in much of our policy work, and his invaluable guidance in our litigation matters,” Chairman Kovacic said. “We are most fortunate that Pauline Ippolito will take over as Acting Director of the Bureau.”

…

Ippolito, a nationally recognized scholar, has held a variety of management and staff positions while serving the FTC with distinction for 30 years. She received the Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive, the highest award available to a government executive, for her contributions to improving consumer protection policy for the nation.

Ippolito’s research documents the effects of consumer policy choices on business behavior and consumer welfare. Her work on major policy initiatives has led to improvements in policies for the agency and the nation, as demonstrated by her work on health claims in food advertising and labeling. Her research on resale price maintenance led to changes in antitrust policy, which ultimately has been reflected in Supreme Court jurisprudence. Ippolito has a PhD from Northwestern University.

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