Ralph Tyler has been appointed the new FDA General Counsel. The announcement was made today by FDA Commissioner, Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg. Mr. Tyler will join the Office of the Chief Counsel in Rockville, MD on January 19, 2010. Stepping down will be Acting Chief Counsel Michael Landa, who will return to the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN) as Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs.
Mr. Tyler is currently the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Maryland. Previously he served as Chief Legal Counsel to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Prior to that, Mr. Tyler served as the Deputy Attorney General, the Chief of Litigation, and Assistant Attorney General in the Maryland Attorney General’s office between 1982 and 1996. Mr. Tyler also spent several years as a partner at Hogan & Hartson, LLP. He holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois, a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University, and a LL.M. from Harvard University.