Nancy A. Nord was nominated by President George W. Bush to be a commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC protects the public against unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. She was confirmed by the Senate for that position on April 29, 2005, and was sworn into office on May 5, 2005. Ms. Nord served as Acting Chairman of the CPSC from July 2006 through May 2009. Ms. Nord's term expired in October 2012, with her statutory hold-over year expiring in October 2013. She served until October 26, 2013.
Prior to joining the Commission, Ms. Nord held a number of legal positions both in the federal government and in the private sector. Her federal experience includes service as General Counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, counsel to the Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, and as an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission. In the private sector, she was the Director of Federal Affairs for the Eastman Kodak Company, practiced law with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, and was Director of Consumer Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She helped organize and served as the first executive director of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
As a CPSC Commissioner, Ms. Nord initially focused on increasing the effectiveness of product safety recalls and on the importance of corporate compliance programs. As Acting Chairman, she led the agency as it expanded its efforts to address import safety. Among other efforts, she established the agency's Division of Import Safety, initiated the Importer Self-Assessment program, and laid the groundwork for the agency's first office in Beijing, China. She initiated efforts to modernize the agency's product testing laboratory. The agency's important upgrade of crib standards began under her direction. She has conducted numerous training and educational sessions, both domestically and internationally, on integrating safety into the global consumer product supply chain.
She has been active in a number of civic and political organizations. She served as President of Executive Women in Government composed of presidential appointees and members of the Senior Executive Service to promote and mentor women for senior leadership positions in the federal government and she is an active member of the International Women's Forum, among other groups.
Ms. Nord was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska and a law degree from the George Washington University. Ms. Nord is married to the Honorable James S. Halpern, a judge on the U.S. Tax Court, and is the mother of one daughter.