FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the appointment of David B. Robbins as managing director of the commission. Robbins will begin Sept. 12. He will succeed Steve VanRoekel, who left earlier for a post at USAID, and is now the U.S. chief technology officer.
Robbins joins the FCC from the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he was associate administrator for the Office of Management & Administration, leading functions including human capital management, facilities management, security, records management, executive secretariat, administrative services and grants management. At SBA, he also was director of the Loan Management & Accounting Systems Modernization Program.
He began in public service at the Federal Trade Commission, where he served as an assistant director, attorney and senior program manager in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. In addition, Robbins was 15 years in the private sector as an executive, senior manager, IT professional and attorney. Robbins received a law degree from Seton Hall in 1995 and a B.S. in computer science from Rutgers University/Livingston College prior to that.
The FCC’s Office of the Managing Director is responsible for the administration and management of the commission. It manages the FCC budget and financial programs, human resources, contracts, purchasing, communications, computer services, physical space, security, the commission meeting schedule and distribution of official FCC documents.
