In the News

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Named New FDA Chief Counsel

Jan 7, 2010

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Ralph S. Tyler has been appointed Chief Counsel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tyler announced his resignation as Insurance Commissioner effective January 8. The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a press release on his resignation December 16.

Tyler was appointed Insurance Commissioner by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley in September 2007. Previously, he served as Chief Legal Counsel to Governor O'Malley. Tyler has also served as the Deputy Attorney General, the Chief of Litigation, and Assistant Attorney General in the Maryland Attorney General's office. 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.

FDA has not publicly confirmed Tyler's appointment as Chief Counsel to the agency. The announcement was noted in an internal e-mail from FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to agency staff, according to a December 18, 2009 Inside Washington's FDA Week article, and other sources. FDA did not return a call to PackagingLaw.com about the appointment. Michael Landa, who is currently serving as Acting Chief Counsel, will return to FDA's Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN) as Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs.