Joan Buckler Claybrook (born June 12, 1937) is an American lawyer and lobbyist who was president of

Public Citizen Public Citizen is a non-profit, Progressivism in the United States, progressive consumer rights advocacy group and think tank based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a branch in Austin, Texas, Austin, Texas. Lobbying efforts Public Citizen ...

from 1982 to 2009.Snyder, Jim (December, 2008)
Claybrook steps down at Public Citizen group.
'' The Hill'' She also served in the Carter administration as head of the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" rel ...

(NHTSA) from 1977 to 1981.Roosevelt, Margot (August 8, 2006)
Q & A: Joan Claybrook.
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

Early life, education, and early career

Claybrook was born and raised in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. She attended

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...

, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1959. In 1973, she earned a J.D. degree from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

. Between college and law school, she worked in the congressional liaison's office at the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify ...

for six years before moving to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1965 to complete a fellowship with the American Political Science Association. She also briefly worked as a staffer for Senator Walter F. Mondale.

Career

In 1977, Claybrook was appointed by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

to head the then 10-year-old National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Prior to her time with NHTSA, Claybrook ran Congress Watch, worked for the

Public Interest Research Group Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) are a federation of U.S. and Canadian non-profit organizations that employ grassroots organizing and direct advocacy on issues such as consumer protection, public health and transportation. The PIRGs are cl ...

(PIRG), the National Traffic Safety Bureau, the

, the

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

. During her early years in Washington, D.C., she met

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the U ...

while advocating for improving highway and auto safety. In 1966, she lobbied with Nader for the successful passage of the nation's first auto safety laws: the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Highway Safety Act. She was also involved in efforts for stricter automobile regulations. Some of these rules, such as her mandate that speedometers read no higher than 85 miles per hour, proved unpopular with U.S. car owners and were later overturned. Claybrook was also a prominent advocate for the use of airbags in automobiles.

Board memberships

Claybrook currently serves on Georgetown University Law Center's Board of Visitors. She also holds positions on the boards of

Consumers Union A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

, Citizens for Tax Justice, Public Justice, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Goucher College Board of Trustees, and the California Wellness Foundation Advisory Board.Conniff, Ruth (March, 1999)
Joan Claybrook - consumer advocate - Interview.
''

The Progressive ''The Progressive'' is a left-leaning American magazine and website covering politics and culture. Founded in 1909 by U.S. senator Robert M. La Follette Sr. and co-edited with his wife Belle Case La Follette, it was originally called ''La Follett ...

Awards and honorary degrees

*Honorary Doctor of Law,

*Honorary Doctor of Public Service,

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

*Philip Hart Distinguished Consumer Service Award, Consumer Federation of America *Excellence in Public Service Award, Georgetown Law Center *Honorary Doctor of Law,

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

*Foremother, National Research Center for Women & Families

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Claybrook, Joan Georgetown University Law Center alumni Consumer rights activists Living people 1937 births Goucher College alumni Public Citizen