Former FTC Chair Engages with Students at St. John’s Henry George Lecture

The youngest-ever Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought her economic wisdom and public policy experience to St. John’s University on February 5, speaking to a gathering of students, faculty, administrators, and staff at the semiannual Henry George Lecture Series on the Queens, NY, campus.

Lina M. Khan, J.D., served as FTC chair from June 2021 to January 2025. Only 32 at the time of her US Senate confirmation, the expert in antitrust enforcement and consumer protection discussed her time with the organization, legacy, and post-FTC career in a discussion moderated by Aleksandr V. Gevorkyan, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Economics and Finance, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, and the Henry George Chair since 2019.

Ms. Khan detailed her approach to economic governance, efforts that align with the values of Mr. George (1839–97), a 19th-century American political economist who advocated for progress and social development. Mr. George believed that, while land was privately owned, its economic value could be taxed to fund public services and promote social equity.

Using an example from Mr. George’s lifetime, Ms. Khan detailed how the 1887 Interstate Commerce Act leveled the playing field for farmers eager to bring goods to market. “The act regulated the railroad industry at the federal level,” she explained. “Because of the economics of railroads, often farmers were dependent on a single company to get their goods to market, and that was creating abuses of power. The railroads were getting to pick the winners and losers. The Interstate Commerce Act was not about breaking up the railroads, but making sure that any monopoly that emerged in this market was not able to abuse its power.”

About 100 members of the St. John’s community came out to see Ms. Khan, who is now Associate Professor of Law at Columbia University, specializing in antitrust, public economic law, and economic governance. Another 100 or so watched the lecture via livestream, including members of several Georgist organizations.

Dr. Gevorkyan called Ms. Khan’s 2017 Yale Law Journal article titled Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox “essential reading on economic structure and competitive markets in today’s business education.” The article, Dr. Gevorkyan continued, “calls attention to the complex categories of corporate strategic behavior, structure, and conduct in analytical market fairness assessments with vast implications in economic policy.”

Ms. Khan was recently named Co-Chair of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s transition team, which represented her introduction to local politics. “It has been a crash course in learning the ins and outs of how New York City bureaucracy works,” Ms. Khan said. “But I have been excited to see the administration hit the ground running.”

Established in 1914, the FTC—a US government agency—protects consumers against unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent business practices. It enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws through investigations, law enforcement actions, rulemaking, and education.

During Ms. Khan’s time atop the FTC, she successfully implemented a number of antitrust actions promoting fair and open competition across multiple industries, including the healthcare, food, retail, tech, and other sectors. Those initiatives, in the spirit of Mr. George, are projected to save consumers billions of dollars.

“One thing I did at the FTC was make sure we were fully canvassing what legal tools and authorities Congress has given us so that we were doing our job across the board,” Ms. Khan explained. 

After a 30-minute fireside chat-style conversation with Dr. Gevorkyan, Ms. Khan fielded a dozen questions from St. John’s students on matters ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) to health-care economics, and supply chain management. On the question of AI, she said “it would be naive to think there is not going to be any change or disruption” in certain industries, particularly white-collar, entry-level jobs. But, she added, “we have seen instances in which businesses had AI-related layoffs, and then realized they actually need people and had to bring some back.”

Ms. Khan, a regular podcast and late-night television guest, has made the intellectual subjects of antitrust regulation and corporate governance popular Gen Z conversation points. Senior Sophia Feeney, an international management major who is considering law school, first saw her on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show in 2024. She asked Ms. Khan about the balance between aggressive antitrust enforcement and potential regulatory overreach.

“I have an interest in antitrust issues, and she is so articulate in what she communicates,” Sophia said.

Ms. Khan’s candor, particularly on AI, was appreciated by students, including senior Dylan Hahami, who will graduate in May with a degree in business analytics. “Younger people can relate to her reform-minded agenda,” Dylan said. “There is concern over AI among young people, and these reform initiatives are important as we enter a more tech-driven economy.” 

The Henry George Lecture is held each semester at St. John’s. Since 1981, the series has welcomed distinguished economists exploring relevant issues in economic theory, including 11 Nobel Prize in Economics laureates.

The Henry George Chair in Economics is an endowed position at the University, launched with a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, now known as the Progress and Poverty Institute. The Henry George Chair was established to reward, support, and encourage scholarly activities aligned with those of Mr. George.