Independent Women’s Forum is pleased to announce that Frances B. Smith, a member of the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee and an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is the latest in our popular series of Champion Women profiles.

Fran is not your traditional consumer advocate. Too many so-called consumer advocates seek to use government regulations to promote consumer protections, but that’s not the best way to achieve that aim, says Smith. “It’s a mistake to believe that consumer protection can be done only through government,” Smith explains.

Smith wants to ensure that the consumer gets the best deal the marketplace can offer by encouraging industry competition, choice, and transparency. Fran and her husband Fred Smith worked together to create the Competitive Enterprise Institute around their dining room table.

Fran Bivona grew up in New Orleans during the height of the city’s troubled racial history. Indeed, she attended meetings of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and had a starring role in a memorable event during New Orleans' troubled 1960s.

We know that you will enjoy meeting this remarkable woman who is not afraid to stake out a different territory when it comes to protecting the consumer.