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Barbara Franklin Elected Vice Chairman Of Newly Created Consumer Product Safety Commission

Release Date: October 06, 2011

Before joining the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Ms. Franklin was Staff Assistant to President Nixon. In this capacity, she recruited women for top-level policy-making positions in the Federal Government. During her two-year tenure at the White House, the number of women in high-level positions (salaries of $28,000 and up) more than tripled.



The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created by Congress in October 1972. Activated on May 14, 1973, one of its prime objectives is to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products. The Commission is an independent Federal regulatory agency with a Vice Chairman elected annually. Richard 0. Simpson, formerly Assistant Secretary of Science and Technology at the Department of Commerce is Commission Chairman.



Before she joined President Nixon's staff, Ms. Franklin was Assistant Vice President of First National City Bank in New York City. She came to Citibank in 1969 from the Singer Company in New York, where she had been Manager of Environmental Analysis.



One of the first women to receive an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, Ms. Franklin received her Bachelor's Degree with honors in 1962 from the Pennsylvania State University.



A native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Ms. Franklin has received numerous honors, including an honorary doctor of science degree from Bryant College (Providence, Rhode Island); the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Penn State University; the Distinguished Women of Northwood Institute Award (Midland, Michigan); Who's Who of American Women; and Outstandinq Young Women of America. Her memberships have included the Business Research Advisory Council to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the North American Society for Corporate Planning, the American Association of University Women, and Mortar Board.



She resides in Washington, D.C.

 

Release Number
73-004

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. Since the CPSC was established more than 50 years ago, it has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, which has contributed to a decline in injuries associated with these products. 

Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.

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