Hon. Barbara Hackman Franklin Elected to Richard Nixon Foundation Board

YORBA LINDA, Calif., May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Richard Nixon Foundation is pleased to announce the election of the 29th Secretary of Commerce Barbara Hackman Franklin to its board of directors, joining a roster of leaders in government, business and public affairs committed to preserving the legacy and vision of America's 37th President.  Secretary Franklin advises American companies doing business in international markets, notably China, and is an expert on corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting practices.

"Secretary Franklin will be a great asset to the Foundation board of directors," said President Nixon's daughters Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower. "She not only brings sharp intellect and impressive credentials in business and government service, but a pioneering spirit demonstrated by her great work with our father to expand opportunities for women in government."

Secretary Franklin, now President of the private international consulting firm Barbara Franklin Enterprises, was one of the first women to graduate from the Harvard Business School. She began her public service career in the Nixon White House where she created and led the 37th President's initiatives to expand the role and participation of women in government. These efforts resulted in the tripling of appointments to high-level government positions including cabinet posts and federal judgeships, the advancement of more than one thousand women to middle-level positions, as well as the opportunity for women in the military to be promoted to the rank of Colonel and join the ranks of Admirals and Generals for the first time in history.

After leaving the White House, Secretary Franklin served in a variety of academic, government and corporate positions. She served as one of the original Commissioners and first Vice Chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission by appointment of President Nixon, as Senior Fellow at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and served four terms on the President's Advisory Council on Trade Policy and Negotiations by appointment of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. She has served on the boards of directors of 14 public companies and currently serves on the boards of AETNA Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company.  She is also trustee of three funds in the American Family of mutual funds, and serves on the International Advisory Board of Lafarge of Paris, France.

Secretary Franklin is Chairman of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Chairman emerita of the Economic Club of New York, and a director of the US-China Business Council, the National Committee on US-China Relations, the Atlantic Council, the Committee for Economic Development, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Kissinger Institute on China and the U.S., 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 Advisory Council.

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush appointed Franklin to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she developed several international free market initiatives. Following in the footsteps of America's 37th President, she embarked on an historic mission to China which normalized commercial relations with Beijing.

Secretary Franklin is married to Wallace Barnes, retired chairman and CEO of Barnes Group, Inc. They reside in Washington, D.C. and Bristol, Connecticut.

The Richard Nixon Foundation is a not-for-profit organization located on the campus of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, CA 92886. For more information about events or exhibits, please call (714) 993-5075 or visit the Foundation online at www.nixonfoundation.org.

SOURCE Richard Nixon Foundation