CPSC Announces New General Counsel

On December 3, 2012, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum announced the hiring of former Georgetown University Vice President and General Counsel Stephanie Tsacoumis as new General Counsel for the Commission. The Office of the General Counsel advises and counsels the CPSC Chairman and Commissioners, coordinates rulemaking, and pursues administrative lawsuits and civil penalties in the enforcement of federal safety standards. Ms. Tsacoumis will begin at the CPSC on Monday, December 10.

Ms. Tsacoumis served as Vice President and General Counsel for Georgetown University from 2009 to 2012, where she was responsible for all of the University’s legal affairs, including general compliance, federal contracts and grants, intellectual property, and health and safety. As a member of the adjunct faculty at the Georgetown University Law Center, she also taught classes on federal securities law disclosure.

Prior to joining Georgetown, Ms. Tsacoumis worked at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. She served for six years as co-partner in charge of the D.C. office and worked on transactional and advisory matters for for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Tsacoumis also managed the legal team for pro bono client Girl Scouts of the USA and currently serves on the Women’s Advisory Board of the D.C. Girl Scouts. She is also Secretary of Girls Inc. of the Washington, D.C. Metro Area – a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring young girls. She graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and Phi Beta Kappa from The College of William & Mary with a degree in economics. She also completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Ms. Tsacoumis will likely have a full plate, including ongoing litigation regarding magnetic balls, consideration of potential policy changes for how information is released under Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, and continued implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.