Bio, via Federal Trade Commission:

Thomas B. Pahl was appointed Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen on February 21, 2017. He oversees the Commission’s attorneys, investigators, and administrative personnel working to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive practices in the marketplace. Mr. Pahl first joined the agency in 1990, and spent more than two decades serving in various positions, including as Assistant Director in the Divisions of Financial Practices and Advertising Practices, and as an attorney advisor for former FTC Commissioners Orson Swindle and Mary Azcuenaga. Before commencing his current position at the agency, Tom was a partner at the law firm of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP in Washington, D.C., where his practice focused on consumer financial services and other consumer protection matters. He also was a Managing Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Regulations, where he was responsible for rulemaking, guidance, and policy development activities relating to debt collection, credit reporting, and financial privacy. Tom received his J.D., cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois, and his B.A., summa cum laude, in economics from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.