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News Release 25-006
Contact: Claire Huber, 202-205-1819
The United States International Trade Commission (Commission) today announced that Commissioner Rhonda K. Schmidtlein will step down from the Commission on February 1, 2025. She will enter the private sector after leaving the Commission.
Commissioner Schmidtlein was nominated to the Commission by President Barack Obama and was sworn in on April 28, 2014, for the term expiring on December 16, 2021. She led the Commission as Chair from January 13, 2017, through June 16, 2018.
Before joining the agency, Commissioner Schmidtlein held several high-profile roles at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Justice and the World Bank.
“Serving as Chair and as a Commissioner has been one of the greatest honors of my career. 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,” Commissioner Schmidtlein said.
“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,” said Chair Amy A. Karpel. “Her counsel, judgement 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.”
The USITC is an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency. The agency 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 the Congress; and maintains the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
News Release 24-056
Contact: Jennifer Andberg, 202-205-1819
Rhonda K. (Schnare) Schmidtlein today becomes Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). She succeeded outgoing Chairman David S. Johanson, whose term as Chair expired on June 16, 2024. Schmidtlein, the senior Democrat on the Commission, became Chairman by operation of law in the absence of a Presidential designation.
Chairman Schmidtlein was nominated to the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) by President Barack Obama on July 15, 2013; renominated on January 6, 2014; and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 6, 2014. She was sworn in as a member of the Commission on April 28, 2014, for the term expiring on December 16, 2021. She previously served as Chairman of the USITC from January 13, 2017, through June 16, 2018.
Chairman Schmidtlein served as an expert consultant to the World Bank for the two years immediately prior to her appointment. In that role, she provided expertise on projects that sought to strengthen audit and accounting regulation and oversight in countries with emerging markets.
From 2005-2011, Chairman Schmidtlein served as the founding Director of the Office of International Affairs created to implement the international obligations of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The PCAOB is a regulatory agency created by Congress in 2002 to protect the interests of investors in U.S. capital markets and further the public interest in independent audit reports of U.S. public companies. Before becoming the Director of the PCAOB’s Office of International Affairs, she served as Special Counsel to the Chairman of the PCAOB.
Chairman Schmidtlein served in the General Counsel’s office at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 1998 to 2003. In that role, she represented the United States as Head of Delegation and lead counsel in disputes before the World Trade Organization and provided legal counsel in connection with the negotiation of numerous international trade agreements.
Earlier in her career, Chairman Schmidtlein was an Honors Program trial attorney in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. She also was an adjunct professor for legal research and writing at the George Washington University’s National Law Center. She began her career as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Howard F. Sachs, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri.
Chairman Schmidtlein holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a juris doctor degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Originally from Carrollton, Missouri, she resides in Washington D.C. with her husband, John, and two children.
The USITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial federal agency that investigates and makes determinations in proceedings involving imports claimed to injure a domestic industry, violations of U.S. intellectual property rights, or other unfair methods of competition in connection with imported goods; provides independent analysis and information on tariffs, trade, and competitiveness to the President and the Congress; and maintains the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
News Release 14-038
Contact: Peg O'Laughlin, 202-205-1819
Rhonda Schnare Schmidtlein, a Democrat of Missouri, was sworn in today as a Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 6, 2014, for the term expiring on December 16, 2021.
Commissioner Schmidtlein served as an expert consultant to the World Bank for the two years immediately prior to her appointment. In that role, she provided expertise on projects that sought to strengthen audit and accounting regulation and oversight in countries with emerging markets.
From 2005-2011, Commissioner Schmidtlein served as the founding Director of the office created to implement the international obligations of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). The PCAOB is a regulatory agency created by Congress in 2002 to protect the interests of investors in U.S. capital markets and further the public interest in independent audit reports of U.S. public companies. Before becoming the Director of the PCAOB's Office of International Affairs, she served as Special Counsel to the Chairman of the PCAOB.
Commissioner Schmidtlein served in the General Counsel's office at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative from 1998 to 2003. In that role, she represented the United States as Head of Delegation and lead counsel in disputes before the World Trade Organization and provided legal counsel in connection with the negotiation of numerous international trade agreements.
Earlier in her career, Commissioner Schmidtlein was an Honors Program trial attorney in the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. She also was an adjunct professor for legal research and writing at the George Washington University's National Law Center. She began her career as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Howard F. Sachs, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri.
Commissioner Schmidtlein holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a juris doctor degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Originally from Carrollton, Missouri, she resides in Washington D.C. with her husband, John, and two children.
The U.S. International Trade Commission is an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent and trademark infringement.