WASHINGTON — Rhonda Schmidtlein, a U.S. International Trade Commission commissioner since April 2014, plans to leave the ITC on Feb. 1 and return to private practice.
Her departure will leave the ITC — which hears and rules on all antidumping and countervailing import cases — with just three commissioners.
She is one of four commissioners on the board of the ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, fact-finding federal agency that investigates and makes determinations in proceedings involving imports claimed to injure a domestic industry or violate U.S. intellectual property rights; provides independent analysis and information on tariffs, trade and competitiveness to the president and Congress; and maintains the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
Schmidtlein was nominated to sit on the ITC by then-President Barack Obama and was sworn in on April 28, 2014. She was the Commission's chair from January 2017 through June 2018.
"Serving as chair and as a commissioner has been one of the greatest honors of my career," Schmidtlein said.
"During my time in office, I have had the privilege of working alongside dedicated colleagues and passionate public servants with deep expertise, all committed to excellence in their work and making a positive impact on the mission of the International Trade Commission and the American public. I will always value the collaborative spirit and unwavering commitment to the public interest that defines the people who work at the U.S. International Trade Commission."
Her leaving the ITC in February will allow incoming President Donald Trump to nominate a successor.
Before joining the agency, Schmidtlein held several high-profile public sector roles at the World Bank, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Justice.
"Commissioner Schmidtlein has been an integral part of the agency for the last 11 years and has made enduring contributions in that time that have both strengthened the institution and the quality of its work," ITC Chair Amy Karpel said.
"Her counsel, judgment and leadership have been invaluable to the commission and me. We thank her for her long and distinguished career in public service and wish her the best as she moves to private practice."
Besides Schmidtlein and Karpel — both Democrats — the other commissioners are: David Johanson, a Republican serving since April 2011; Jason Kearns, a Democrat serving since January 2017.
The ITC board may have as many as six commissioners, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. No more than three commissioners may be of any one political party.
The commissioners serve overlapping terms of nine years each, with a new term beginning every 18 months. The chair and vice chair are designated by the president from among the current commissioners for two-year terms. The chair and vice chair must be from different political parties, and the chair cannot be from the same political party as the preceding chair.
Schmidtlein is joining the international law firm Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr L.L.P. as a partner in the firm's International Trade, Investment and Market Access Practice Group. She will be based at WilmerHale's Washington D.C. office.