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Home | Office Holder | Barbara Franklin
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Franklin is chairman of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and chairman emerita of the Economic Club of New York. She is a director of the board of the US-China Business Council, The National Committee on US-China Relations, the Atlantic Council, the Committee for Economic Development (CED), The Richard Nixon Foundation and the National Symphony Orchestra. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Foreign Policy Association, the Japan Society, the International Women’s Forum and member emeritus of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Advisory Council. She is a former trustee of the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to her service as Secretary of Commerce, Franklin’s trailblazing career included corporate, governmental, academic, and entrepreneurial activities. In 1984, she founded Franklin Associates, a management consulting firm, and served as its president until 1992. She was also a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania through the 1980’s. Franklin served as one of the original Commissioners and first Vice Chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (1973-79). She led the first White House effort to recruit women for high-level government jobs as a staff assistant to President Nixon, an effort which resulted in tripling the number of women in those positions (1971-73). Earlier, Franklin was assistant vice president at Citibank and manager of environmental analysis at the Singer Company. She served four terms on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, by appointments of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and as Alternate Representative to the 44th United Nations General Assembly by appointment of President George H. W. Bush. Altogether, Franklin has served five U.S. Presidents and, in 2006, received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Franklin graduated with distinction from the Pennsylvania State University. She was one of the first women graduates of Harvard Business School from which she has received an Alumni Achievement Award. She has received numerous honorary degrees, honors, and awards and is a frequent speaker, author, and commentator. She is married to Wallace Barnes, retired chairman and CEO of Barnes Group, Inc. They reside in Washington, DC and Bristol, CT. |
