President Barack Obama has designated Edith Ramirez to serve as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, effective as of March 4. She succeeds Jon Leibowitz, who served in this position since 2009.

No confirmation hearing was necessary since she was a sitting Commissioner who previously received Senate approval.

Ramirez was sworn in as a Commissioner of the FTC in April 2010 to a term that expires on Sept. 25, 2015. At the FTC, she has focused on promoting competition and innovation in the technology and healthcare sectors, protecting vulnerable consumers from deceptive and unfair practices, and safeguarding consumer privacy.

Prior to the FTC, Ramirez served as partner at law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, where she handled business litigation in intellectual property, antitrust, unfair competition, and false advertising matters. From 2005 to 2010, Ramirez also served as vice president on the board of commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Earlier in her career, Ramirez was an associated at law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She began her career as a law clerk in the U.S. State Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.