Editing Inez Tenenbaum

{{short description|American lawyer and politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Inez Tenenbaum
| image               = Inez Tenenbaum.jpg
| office              = Chair of the [[United States Consumer Product Safety Commission]]
| president           = [[Barack Obama]]
| term_start          = June 23, 2009
| term_end            = November 29, 2013
| predecessor         = [[Thomas Hill Moore]] {{small|(Acting)}}
| successor           = [[Robert S. Adler|Robert Adler]] {{small|(Acting)}}
| office1             = [[South Carolina Superintendent of Education]]
| governor1           = [[Jim Hodges]]<br>[[Mark Sanford]]
| term_start1         = January 13, 1999
| term_end1           = January 9, 2007
| predecessor1        = [[Barbara S. Nielsen]]
| successor1          = [[Jim Rex]]
| birth_name          = Inez Moore
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1951|3|8}}
| birth_place         = [[Hawkinsville, Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| education           = [[University of Georgia]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Master of Arts|MA]])<br>[[University of South Carolina]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
}}
'''Inez Tenenbaum''' (née '''Moore'''; born March 8, 1951)<ref name=PBS /> is an American lawyer and politician who served as [[South Carolina Superintendent of Education]] and as chairperson of the [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission]]. In 2016, she joined a law firm. She is a member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]].

==Education==
Tenenbaum was born in [[Hawkinsville, Georgia]],  obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1972 from the [[University of Georgia]], and a Master's in Education two years later from the same university. She received a [[Juris Doctor]] degree from the [[University of South Carolina]], Columbia in 1986, where she was an associate editor-in-chief of the ''South Carolina Law Review''.<ref name=PBS />

==Career==
Originally a [[State school|public school]] teacher, Tenenbaum entered state government as an employee of the South Carolina Department of Social Services. She later served as the director of research for the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee of the [[South Carolina House of Representatives]]. She practiced with a private law firm, Sinkler & Boyd, P.A. from 1986 to 1992, in the areas of health, environment, and public interest law.<ref name=PBS>{{cite web | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/key-races/sc_tenenbaum.html | title=Online Newshour - Vote 2004 - Key Races - South Carolina Senate Race - Inez Tenenbaum | publisher=PBS | date=September 24, 2004 | access-date=September 1, 2017 | archive-date=November 11, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111231701/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/key-races/sc_tenenbaum.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===State Superintendent of Education===
Tenenbaum was elected State Superintendent of Education in November 1998 and re-elected in November 2002. She focused her administration on six key initiatives to fuel education progress in South Carolina: raising the academic bar and embracing accountability for student academic progress, improving teacher quality, providing quality early childhood education for all children, supporting strong and effective school leadership, promoting safe and healthy schools, and increasing parent and community involvement.<ref name=LA>{{cite web|title=Inez Tenenbaum's State of the Schools Address|url=http://www.scasa.org|publisher=South Carolina Association of School Administrators, Summer Leadership Conference, June 21, 2006|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref>

During her tenure, the South Carolina General Assembly approved a $750 million school bond legislation for K-12 school construction and renovation,  with local districts leveraging the bond amount to raise the total to $1.75 billion.<ref name=GNE>{{cite news|url=http://www.greenvilleonline.com|newspaper=The Greenville News|title=Editorial, January 16, 2007|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref>  More than 140 new schools were built under the act, using a combination of state and local voter-approved bonds.<ref name=GNE />

In 2005, following parental complaints, Tenenbaum removed [[Chris Crutcher]]'s book, ''[[Whale Talk]]'', from the state's English reading list for middle grades.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA507347.html | title=Censorship Roundup | publisher=School Library Journal | date=March 1, 2005}}</ref> She was featured in an interview by [[John Stossel]] for a ''[[20/20 (US television series)|20/20]]'' Special Edition about public schools in the United States and  world.<ref>{{cite video |people=Inez Tenenbaum (interviewee) |title=John Stossel's 20/20 "Stupid in America" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx4pN-aiofw |accessdate=2008-08-14 |time=22:48–23:25 and 26:36–27:01}}</ref> Tenenbaum defended South Carolina's progress, noting that the state was rapidly narrowing the gap between its students' test scores and the national average.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lexington1.net/DEPARTMENTS/Communications/NEWS/newsrels/20052006/SCDOE_SAT_NR.doc | author=Inez M. Tenenbaum | title=State SAT average rises another 7 points; 5-year improvement rate still tops in U.S. | publisher=South Carolina Department of Education | date=August 30, 2005 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703013107/http://www.lexington1.net/DEPARTMENTS/Communications/NEWS/newsrels/20052006/SCDOE_SAT_NR.doc | archivedate=July 3, 2010 }}</ref>

By the end of her term in 2007, South Carolina was a key leader in the nation in education improvement.<ref name=GNE /><ref name=FH>{{cite web|title=Fordham Foundation Report, 2000|url=http://www.edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2002/200205_tbfffiveyear/report.pdf|publisher=Thomas. B. Fordham Foundation|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=EN>{{cite web|title=Education Next Report, 2006|url=http://educationnext.org/|work=Education Next|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=NEAR>{{cite web|title=Northwest Evaluation Association Report, 2003|url=http://www.nwea.org/our-research/national-education-research|accessdate=10 May 2013|archive-date=20 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520093102/http://www.nwea.org/our-research/national-education-research|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=PR>{{cite web|title=Princeton Review Report, 2003|url=http://www.princetonreview.com/|work=Princeton Review|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref>  Five independent national studies—by the Fordham Foundation,<ref name=FH /> Princeton Review,<ref name=PR /> the Large-Scale Assessment Study, the Northwest Evaluation Association,<ref name=NEAR /> Quality Counts,<ref name=QC>{{cite news|title=Quality Counts at 10: January 5, 2006|url=http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2006/01/05/index.html|work=Education Week|date=5 January 2006 |accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref> and Education Next,<ref name=EN />—indicated that South Carolina's standards for student academic proficiency under     [[No Child Left Behind]] were among the most rigorous in the nation.<ref name=FH /><ref name=EN /><ref name=NEAR /><ref name=PR />

During her tenure, South Carolina's performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) showed top rankings for improvement:
	
* Math, Grade 4—Number 1 in the nation<ref name=MG>{{cite web|last1=Porter|first1=Michael E.|agency=The Monitor Group|title=A Strategic Plan for South Carolina|url=http://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/200504_SouthCarolina_report.pdf|publisher=South Carolina Competitiveness Initiative|accessdate=10 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101020628/http://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/200504_SouthCarolina_report.pdf|archivedate=1 November 2012}}</ref>
* Math, Grade 8—Number 1 in the nation<ref name=GNE />
* Science, Grade 4—Number 1 in the nation
* Science, Grade 8—Number 3 in the nation<ref name=GNE />

Standard & Poor's identified South Carolina as an "outperformer" on NAEP for consistently achieving above the statistical expectations.<ref name=SP>{{cite web|title=Standard & Poor's Report, 2005|url=http://www.standardandpoors.com|publisher=Standard & Poor's|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref> The state's SAT scores increased 34 points over eight years (1999-2007), the largest ten-year gain in the nation.<ref name=GNE /> The 2007 national report card "Quality Counts," published by ''Education Week'', ranked the state  first in the nation in academic standards, assessment, and accountability.<ref name=QC /> It ranked 11th in efforts to connect K-12 education with early learning, higher education, and the world of work.<ref name=QC />  "Quality Counts" ranked the state first  for improving teacher quality in 2003 and 2004, and number two for teacher quality improvements in 2005 and 2006.<ref name=QC />

Tenenbaum was succeeded as Superintendent of Education by Democrat [[Jim Rex]] on January 10, 2007.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jimrex.com/about_jim/ | title=About Jim | publisher=JimRex.com | accessdate=May 6, 2009 | archive-date=May 12, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512003821/http://www.jimrex.com/about_jim/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Consumer Products Safety Commission===
On May 5, 2009, President [[Barack Obama]] announced that he would nominate Tenenbaum to head the [[United States Consumer Product Safety Commission]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/06/us/politics/06consumer.html | title=Obama to Nominate New Head of Consumer Safety | last=Cooper | first=Helene | date=May 5, 2009 | newspaper=NY Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-consumer-tenenbaum6-2009may06,1,438227.story | title=Obama names Inez Moore Tenenbaum to head Consumer Product Safety Commission | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=May 6, 2009 | last=Zajac | first=Andrew}}</ref> She was confirmed in that position by the U.S. Senate unanimously on June 19, 2009.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1946117120090619 | title=US Senate confirms new consumer safety chief | date=June 19, 2009 | work=Reuters | first=Thomas | last=Ferraro}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|user=senatus|author=Josh|number=2249228353|date=20 June 2009|title=Senate unanimously confirmed Inez Tenenbaum to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission. (http://is.gd/16ZR7)}}</ref> On February 28, 2013 Tenenbaum announced that she will not seek renomination when her term expires in October 2013.<ref name=CPSC>{{cite web|title=Inez Tenenbaum announces intent to not seek renomination|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Newsroom/News-Releases/2013/CPSC-Chairman-Inez-Tenenbaum-announces-intent--to-not-seek-renomination/|work=CPSC|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref>

In 2009, the CPSC established its first overseas office in the [[Embassy of the United States, Beijing|U.S. Embassy in Beijing]].<ref name=CPSC2>{{cite web|title=CPSC Accomplishments from 2009-2012|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/en/About-CPSC/Agency-Reports/CPSC-Accomplishments-from-2009-2012|work=CPSC|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref> In the same year, it created an Internet Surveillance Unit to aid in marketplace surveillance of retail and Internet auction sites to identify sellers offering banned, recalled, or dangerous products.<ref name=CPSC2 />

In October 2010, Tenenbaum announced a five-year strategic plan (2011–2016), which established a new mission and vision for the Commission.<ref name=CPSC /> Also in 2010, under her leadership, the CPSC made the Office of Education, Global Outreach, and Small Business Ombudsman to facilitate outreach to domestic and international stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, resellers, small businesses, and foreign governments.

In 2011, the CPSC opened the new National Product Testing and Evaluation Center (NPTEC), testing products for defects and developing methods to determine compliance with safety standards.<ref name=CPSC2 /> In October 2011, the CPSC led the first North American Consumer Product Safety Summit with Canada and Mexico.<ref name=CPSC2 /> In March 2011, it launched the publicly available Consumer Product Safety Information Database, SaferProducts.gov.<ref name=CPSC2 /> In 2011, it implemented a Risk Assessment Methodology (RAM) pilot project that to analyze data available in Custom and Border Protection's International Trade Data System (ITDS) to target potentially violative products coming into the United States.

The CPSC obtained more than 1,800 recalls between 2009 and 2012. In 2012, the CPSC conducted 439 recalls involving more than 91 million units from around the world.<ref name=CPSC2 /> In the same year, it screened over 17,000 models of imported consumer products at U.S. ports.<ref name=CPSC2 /> In 2012, it began its International Extended Training Exchange Program.<ref name=CPSC2 />

In 2012, in collaboration with consumer product regulators in Australia, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand, CPSC, along with KidSafe, organized a multijurisdictional symposium on technical solutions to eliminate or mitigate the hazards posed by ingested button batteries.<ref name=CPSC2 />
 
In 2012, the CPSC began a public-private collaboration to work on lowering the risk of concussions and other mild traumatic brain injuries at the youth football level.  The "Youth Football Brain Safety" initiative involved major companies that manufacture or recondition football helmets, industry associations, the [[National Football League]] (NFL) and [[National Football League Players Association|its Players Association]], [[USA Football]], the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), and the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA). Through private funding, the program provides assistance to football programs for economically disadvantaged youth, outfitting their players in newer and properly maintained helmets.<ref name=CPSC2 />

As of September 30, 2012, the CPSC completed 96 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)-related rulemaking activities since the passage of the CPSIA in 2008, including 40 final rules and 20 accreditation requirements.<ref name=CPSC2 />

The CPSC launched a campaign in 2013 to reduce drowning risks for children.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/things-to-do-this-summer-teach-your-children-to-swim-fence-your-pool-052413.html| title=Things to do this summer: Teach your children to swim, fence your pool| author=James Limbach| date=May 23, 2013| publisher=Consumer Affairs| access-date=June 5, 2015| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613054612/http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/things-to-do-this-summer-teach-your-children-to-swim-fence-your-pool-052413.html| archivedate=June 13, 2015}}</ref> The CPSC began an investigation into the safety concerns of liquid laundry packets that have been swallowed by children in April 2013.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/those-liquid-laundry-packets-can-be-dangerous-for-little-ones-040813.html| title=Those liquid laundry packets can be dangerous for little ones| date=April 8, 2013| author=James Limbach| publisher=Consumer Affairs| access-date=June 5, 2015| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612101734/http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/those-liquid-laundry-packets-can-be-dangerous-for-little-ones-040813.html| archivedate=June 12, 2015}}</ref> In November 2013, the CPSC worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to seize more than 200,000 toy dolls that were made in China and contained banned chemical compounds.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://wqad.com/2013/11/19/u-s-officials-seize-200000-toy-dolls-made-in-china/| title=U.S. officials seize 200,000 toy dolls made in China| author=Shellie Nelson| date=November 19, 2013| publisher=WQAD| access-date=June 5, 2015}}</ref>

During her tenure at the CPSC, Tenenbaum made regulations for children's products, created a public database to catalog product safety complaints, and put in place mandatory standards for children's beds, cribs, and swings. In 2013, she stepped down from her role with the CPSC to take a job with the law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/30/business/head-of-consumer-safety-agency-is-stepping-down-after-4-years.html?_r=1&|title=Customer Safety Chief Leaves a Small Agency with Bigger Powers|author=Ron Nixon|date=November 29, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=December 12, 2013}}</ref>

==2004 U.S. Senate run==
{{see also|2004 United States Senate election in South Carolina}}
Tenenbaum was the Democratic candidate in the [[2004 United States Senate election in South Carolina|2004 election]] for retiring Democrat [[Fritz Hollings]]'s seat in the [[U.S. Senate]]; she lost to [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[Jim DeMint]] by 152,783 votes.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090505/BUSINESS/90505001/1004/NEWS01 | title=DeMint praises Tenenbaum pick for consumer protection agency | newspaper=The Greenville News | date=May 5, 2009 | last=Chebium | first=Raju }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Law firm==
In 2016, she announced she would join the law firm of Wyche, P.A. Her practice focuses on consumer product safety and risk management, working particularly with manufacturers and retailers of consumer products to ensure compliance with applicable consumer product safety requirements and to protect the client's brand.

===Awards===
In 2001, The Center for Creative Leadership, a nonprofit education institution in Greensboro, North Carolina, named Inez Tenenbaum the recipient of its third annual Distinguished Alumni Award for "making leadership a fundamental requirement for school reform as part of South Carolina's strategic plan for education."<ref name=CCL>{{cite web|title=2001 News Release Inez Moore Tenenbaum, South Carolina State Superintendent of Education, to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award|url=http://www.ccl.org/leadership/news/2001/inez.aspx|publisher=Center for Creative Leadership|accessdate=10 May 2013}}</ref>

In  2009, Washingtonian Magazine listed Inez Tenenbaum as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, DC.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/work-education/woman-power/| title=Woman Power| date=October 9, 2009| author=Leslie Milk| publisher=Washingtonian| access-date=June 5, 2015}}</ref>

== Personal ==
Tenenbaum and her husband Samuel Tenebaum reside in [[Lexington, South Carolina]]. She is [[Methodist]], and her husband is Jewish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forward.com/news/5596/campaign-confidential-65/|title=CAMPAIGN CONFIDENTIAL|website=The Forward|date=7 May 2004 |accessdate=Sep 19, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://www.wyche.com/what/attorneys/lawyer/inez-tenenbaum/ Inez M. Tenenbaum-Attorney-Wyche, P.A].
*{{C-SPAN|42710}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[South Carolina]]<br>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 3]])|years=[[2004 United States Senate election in South Carolina|2004]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Alvin Greene]]}}
|-
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Hal Stratton]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Commissioner of the [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|Consumer Product Safety Commission]]|years=2009–2013}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Elliot F. Kaye|Elliot Kaye]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Thomas Hill Moore|Thomas Moore]]<br>{{small|Acting}}}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|Consumer Product Safety Commission]]|years=2009–2013}}
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{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenenbaum, Inez}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:American educators]]
[[Category:Methodists from South Carolina]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Hawkinsville, Georgia]]
[[Category:People from Lexington, South Carolina]]
[[Category:South Carolina Democrats]]
[[Category:South Carolina superintendents of education]]
[[Category:U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission personnel]]
[[Category:University of Georgia alumni]]
[[Category:University of South Carolina alumni]]
[[Category:Women in South Carolina politics]]
[[Category:20th-century South Carolina politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century South Carolina politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2004 United States elections]]