Askhan Soltani, former chief technologist at the Federal Trade Commission, has moved over to the White House, joining the administration’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Soltani announced the move on Twitter on Dec. 16.
He joined the OSTP team as a senior adviser to U.S. CTO Megan Smith, with a focus on consumer protection, big data and privacy issues, “including algorithmic accountability, data ethics and data discrimination,” according to an administration spokesperson.
Before joining the FTC in November 2014, Soltani worked as an investigative reporter at the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, where he earned a Pulitzer Prize. Before that, he served as a technical adviser to the FTC.
Soltani will continue that work at OSTP, with an additional focus on creating career paths for technologists in the federal government.
“We are delighted to welcome Lorrie to our team,” Ramirez said. “She will play a key role in helping guide the many areas of FTC work involving new technologies and platforms.”
