President Bush has designated Stephen Koplan, a Democrat of Virginia, for a second term as Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Koplan will assume the Chairmanship tomorrow for the term June 17, 2004, through June 16, 2006.

Koplan previously served as the ITC's Chairman from June 17, 2000, to June 16, 2002. He has served as a Commissioner since August 4, 1998. He was appointed by President Clinton for the Commission term that will expire on June 16, 2005.

Koplan has been admitted to practice law in both Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. He began his career as a prosecutor in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He served in the Department for a total of 12 years (Tax Division, five years; Civil Rights Division, seven years). While there, he gained both criminal and civil trial experience and ultimately headed up a section responsible for the enforcement of those laws intended to assure nondiscrimination in federal financial assistance programs. Subsequently, he served for six and one-half years as the Legislative Representative for tax and international trade issues for the AFL-CIO.

Koplan also served as staff attorney for three years to former U.S. Senator Lee Metcalf (D-Montana), for whom he had the responsibility for all federal tax and foreign trade legislation referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. Koplan returned to the Senate to serve as the General Counsel of what was formerly the Post Office and Civil Service Committee. His business experience includes five years as the Vice President of Governmental Affairs of Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., where he directed the federal legislative and regulatory operations of the corporation with an emphasis on tax and foreign trade. He has also served as a principal in two Washington, D.C., law firms, Bayh & Connaughton and the McNair Law Firm, for a total of five and one-half years. Most recently, he was the Director for Governmental and Conservation Affairs of Safari Club International.

Koplan is originally from Belmont, Massachusetts. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University, a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law, and a Master of Laws (in Taxation) degree from the Graduate Tax Program of New York University School of Law. He resides in Fairfax, Virginia, with his wife, Harriet. They have four sons, Michael, Bruce, David, and Adam, and three grandchildren, Jacob, Zoe, and Matthew.

The ITC is an independent, nonpartisan, quasi-judicial 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, trademark, and copyright infringement. Commissioners are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for nine-year terms, unless they are appointed to fill unexpired terms. The Chairman and the Vice Chairman are designated by the President for two-year terms in those positions.