One of Franklin’s first efforts began a few years after graduating. She was approached by a former HBS classmate to work on an initiative by former President Nixon to recruit more women for staff positions. She worked with the president to double the number of women, using an approach she called “management by objectives, Harvard Business School style,” in which she monitored the progress of female employees and reported to President Nixon on their progress.

Franklin also travelled around the country in order to find qualified women to fill these positions, a project she said was often very difficult. One such difficulty, she recalled, was an attempt to work with executive recruiters, but none of them had any women on file.

“There were not that many women in the workforce who were visible,” she said. “And it took some doing to find them, but I did find them. They generally were under-titled, and under-paid given the responsibilities they had.”

She described her success in few words. “Long story short, we did it,” Franklin said. “We passed that milestone before the year was up. We tripled the number of women in the first year.”

Hajim said that these results were typical for Franklin, who displayed a “quiet competence” in her work. “In anything she has undertaken, public or private, whatever she’s involved in, it improves,” he said.

Franklin was featured in the book “A Matter of Simple Justice: The Untold Story of Barbara Hackman Franklin and a Few Good Women” for her work in promoting White House jobs for women.

According to Franklin, President Nixon’s initiative created a ripple effect for other working women, and brought the idea of women’s liberation into more mainstream politics, citing legislation such as Title IX.

“Equality for women became legitimate,” she said.

BOARD DIVERSITY

In the 1980s, Franklin began to serve on various corporate boards, on which she was often the only woman. According to Reatha Clark King, who serves with Franklin on the National Association of Corporate Directors, Franklin was able to excel in her work.

“When you’re the only woman on the board, the challenge is to get your voice heard,” King said. “[Franklin] was very courageous in being able to do that.”

Franklin said that her experience in public service has allowed her to thrive in the boardroom and provide a unique perspective. Similarly, she reflected that her work in the private sector helped her to be successful as Secretary of Commerce.

Since she began participating on corporate boards, King said, one of Franklin’s main priorities has been to increase their diversity.

A Culture Change

According to classmates and co-workers, Franklin has pursued advocacy for gender equality throughout her life.