President Barack Obama has appointed Rhonda Schnare Schmidtlein as chairman of the US International Trade Commission (USITC).

A Democrat from Missouri, Schmidtlein will remain in the position until June 16, 2018, regardless of upcoming government changes. She has been a member of the commission since April 2014, on a term expiring in December 2021.

Before her appointment, she was a consultant to the World Bank for two years, during which she gave advice on audit and accounting regulation projects in emerging markets.

From 2005 to 2011, Schmidtlein worked at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), a regulatory agency created to protect the interests of investors in US capital markets.

Her experience also includes five years at the US Trade Representative’s general counsel’s office. In that role, she represented the US in disputes before the World Trade Organisation, and advised on international trade agreements.

The USITC is an independent, non-partisan and quasi-judicial federal agency providing trade expertise to the government, including on the impact of imports on US industries, and directs actions against unfair trade practices such as patent, trademark and copyright infringements.