Vice President Swears In Terrence Scanlon CPSC Chairman

Commissioner Terrence M. Scanlon was sworn in today as Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by Vice President George Bush at a ceremony in his White House office. Scanlon had been confirmed by the Senate July 15th (63-33).

Scanlon becomes the fifth Chairman of the twelve year old regulatory agency charged by the Congress to "protect the public against the unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products."

The Vice President congratulated Chairman. Scanlon and wished him success in his mission of protecting the consumers of the nation.

In accepting his new position as CPSC Chairman, Scanlon told the Vice President and assembled guests: "I look forward to devoting all of my energies to managing the Commission as productively and efficiently as possible during my tenure as Chairman. I will continue to actively promote greater Federal, state and local cooperative efforts in consumer protection, as well as the development of voluntary safety standards to protect America's consumers."

Scanlon was originally appointed to a seven-year term on the Commission by President Reagan March 30, 1983. Before joining the Commission, Scanlon served as Chief of the Industry and Technology Division of the Commerce Department's Minority Business Development Agency.

He has had extensive experience dealing with small business, both at the Department of Commerce, where he served 14 years, and at the Small Business Administration, where he assisted in the development of the agency's initial minority business program.

Chairman Scanlon earned a degree in Economics from Villanova University in 1961. He previously served as Staff Assistant to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.