Inez Moore Tenenbaum (born March 8, 1951)[1] is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. She is currently serving as head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Contents |
Born in Hawkinsville, Georgia, Tenenbaum attended the University of Georgia, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1972 and a Master's degree in Education two years later. She received a law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1986.[1]
Originally a 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. Tenenbaum practiced with a private law firm, Sinkler & Boyd, P.A. from 1986 to 1992, in the areas of health, environment, and public interest law.[1]
Tenenbaum was the Democratic candidate for retiring Democrat Fritz Hollings's seat in the U.S. Senate; she lost in the 2004 election to Republican Jim DeMint.[2] She was often named as a potential Democratic candidate for Governor of South Carolina in 2006, but she chose not to run.
Tenenbaum was elected State Superintendent of Education in November 1998 and was re-elected in November 2002.
In 2005, following parental complaints, Tenenbaum decided to remove Chris Crutcher's book, Whale Talk, which had been chosen by the American Library Association as a "Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults", from the South Carolina Education Department's English reading list for sophomores.[3] Tenenbaum's defense of her decision cited the book's "frequent use of profanity."[4]
Tenenbaum was featured in an interview by John Stossel for a 20/20 Special Edition about public schools in the United States and around the world, called "Stupid in America,"[5] which originally aired on the ABC News network on January 13, 2006. She was criticized by Stossel for South Carolina's low SAT score average. South Carolina was tied for 50th place with Georgia among the US states at the time, with an average score of 993 out of a combined 1600 possible.[6] Tenenbaum defended South Carolina's progress, noting that the state was rapidly narrowing the gap between its students' test scores and the national average and was poised for vast improvements in the next few years.[7]
Tennenbaum was replaced as Superintendent of Education by Democrat Jim Rex on January 10, 2007.[8]
Tenenbaum was mentioned as a possible nominee for the United States Secretary of Education in President Obama's incoming administration.[9] Ultimately, that position went to the Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools, Arne Duncan.
On May 5, 2009, President Barack Obama announced that he would nominate Tenenbaum to head the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.[10][11] She was confirmed in that position unanimously on June 19, 2009.[12][13]
Tenenbaum and her husband Samuel Tenebaum resided in Lexington, South Carolina before she was appointed to the CPSC. She is a Methodist, and her husband is Jewish.[14]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Barbara Nielsen |
South Carolina Superintendent of Education 1999-2007 |
Succeeded by Jim Rex |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Ernest Hollings |
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from South Carolina (Class 3) 2004 |
Succeeded by Alvin Greene |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Hal Stratton |
Commissioner of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission 2009-present Served alongside: Thomas Hill Moore, Nancy Nord, Anne Northup, and Robert S. Adler |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Thomas Hill Moore Acting |
Chairman of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission 2009-present |
|