 The FLA was established in 1999 and evolved out of a task force created by President Bill Clinton following a series of child labor and other sweatshop scandals involving major apparel and footwear brands.From 2001 to 2013, Auret van Heerden was the president and CEO of the FLA.Since 2015, the FLA has been led by Sharon Waxman, previously the vice president for public policy and advocacy at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and formerly the senior national security advisor to U.S.