This week, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Dr. Nancy Beck to be chair and commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Dr. Beck is currently the principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Dr. Beck has spent the majority of her career in the federal government, although prior to her time at the EPA, she was senior director for science regulatory policy at the American Chemistry Council. She has served as a career employee under Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama. Before joining the federal government, Dr. Beck worked for the Washington State Department of Health preparing health and exposure assessments for communities concerned about environmental exposures.
Once confirmed, Dr. Beck’s appointment will restore the three-to-two Republican majority that had been in place prior to the October 2019 departure of Acting Chair Ann Marie Buerkle, a frequent speaker at PPAI’s Product Responsibility Conference. The CPSC is currently chaired by Commissioner Robert Adler.
Once formally submitted to the Senate, a confirmation hearing on Dr. Beck will be held by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, probably within the next few weeks. If passed by the committee, Dr. Beck’s nomination will go to the Senate floor for a full vote. If confirmed, her term will run through October 2025.
Dr. Beck has a B.S. from Cornell University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental health from the University of Washington.
