Barbara Hackman Franklin has served five Presidents during the course of her career, including President George H.W. Bush, as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. She is recognized on both sides of the Pacific for her continued work on U.S. trade issues, particularly with China. Franklin is currently Chairman of the Asian Studies Center Advisory Council at The Heritage Foundation.
As Secretary of Commerce, Franklin achieved a major goal – increasing American exports – with emphasis on market-opening initiatives in China, Russia, Japan and Mexico. Her historic mission to China in 1992 normalized commercial relations with that country. That trip also removed one of the sanctions – the ban on ministerial contact – that the U.S. had imposed following the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989.
Prior to her tenure as Secretary, Franklin served four terms on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations for the Reagan and elder Bush Administrations. She was Alternate Representative and Public Delegate to the U.N. General Assembly and one of the original commissioners of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 1973-79.
Franklin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Barbara Franklin Enterprises, an international trade consulting and investment firm headquartered in Washington. In addition to international trade issues, she is a recognized authority on corporate governance, and is a regular commentator on both topics on the PBS Nightly Business Report.
She is a former Senior Fellow of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and was one of the first women graduates of the Harvard Business School. She graduated with distinction from the Pennsylvania State University.
