Barbara Hackman Franklin (born March 19, 1940) was the 29th United States Secretary of Commerce [1] and was the highest-ranking woman in the Administration of President George H.W. Bush. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she 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 and removed one of the sanctions – the ban on ministerial contact – that the U.S. had imposed following the events at Tiananmen Square in 1989. Currently, Franklin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Barbara Franklin Enterprises, a private investment and consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. She continues to be an active and respected advocate for American companies operating in foreign markets, notably China.