Margaret Spellings

Margaret Spellings
Name	Margaret Spellings
Birth date	August 13, 1957
Birth place	McComb, Mississippi
Alma mater	University of Houston; University of Texas at Austin
Occupation	Education policy official; corporate executive; nonprofit leader
Office	8th United States Secretary of Education
Term start	January 20, 2005
Term end	January 20, 2009
President	George W. Bush
Predecessor	Rod Paige
Successor	Arne Duncan
Party	Republican Party

Margaret Spellings

Margaret Spellings is an American education policy official and executive who served as the eighth United States Secretary of Education under George W. Bush and later led major nonprofit and corporate education initiatives. She was previously an influential figure in Texas politics and in the Bush administration as Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and as Under Secretary of Education, shaping federal standards and accountability efforts that intersected with federal legislation and state reforms. Her career spans roles in state cabinets, federal agencies, think tanks, associations, and the private sector.

Early life and education

Spellings was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Houston, Texas, attending local schools before matriculating at the University of Houston and later the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed undergraduate and graduate studies in fields related to public policy and social sciences. In Texas she worked early on for prominent state figures and agencies, connecting with leaders in the Texas Legislature, Republican Party organizations, and statewide offices. During her formative years she established professional ties to staffers and policymakers associated with administrations such as Ann Richards's opponents and later allies in the administrations of George W. Bush and Rick Perry.

Career in Texas politics

Spellings began her political career in the Texas state government, serving in roles connected to the Texas Education Agency, state executive offices, and legislative initiatives during the 1980s and 1990s. She worked closely with then-Texas Governor George W. Bush on state policy matters, contributing to campaign operations and policy development that involved figures from the Texas Governor's Office and the Texas State Board of Education. Her Texas tenure included collaboration with leaders from the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives, and placed her among a network of staffers and strategists who later populated the Bush presidential transition. She also engaged with state-level education leaders such as Rod Paige before his appointment to the federal post.

U.S. Department of Education (Under Secretary and Secretary)

At the federal level, Spellings served as Under Secretary of Education and subsequently as Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy in the George W. Bush White House, where she was a principal architect of federal initiatives tied to the No Child Left Behind Act and national standards debates that involved collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, congressional leaders from the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, and associations like the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. Nominated and confirmed as Secretary of Education in 2005, she assumed office following Rod Paige and continued to implement and defend federal accountability frameworks amid legal and political challenges involving state attorneys general and education advocacy organizations. During her term she interacted with international education stakeholders and domestic officials from agencies such as the Office of Management and Budget and the White House Domestic Policy Council, and she testified before committees including the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Post-government career and private sector roles

After leaving the cabinet in 2009, Spellings took leadership roles in the nonprofit and corporate education sectors, serving as president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation-affiliated or similar policy groups, engaging with organizations like the Business Roundtable, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Broad Foundation on reform strategies. She became president of the University of North Carolina system-related initiatives and later served as president of the Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, where she oversaw programming in policy arenas connected to civic life and public service. Spellings also joined corporate boards and advisory councils for entities such as AT&T, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and educational technology firms, connecting with executives from Microsoft, Pearson PLC, and venture-funded startups. Her private-sector portfolio included consulting, keynote speaking engagements at conferences hosted by groups like the American Enterprise Institute, Brookings Institution, and Heritage Foundation, and partnerships with state university systems and philanthropic organizations.

Policy positions and controversies

Spellings is associated with support for federal accountability measures, school choice initiatives, and standards-based reforms linked to the No Child Left Behind Act and later discussions around the Common Core State Standards Initiative and waiver policies involving the U.S. Department of Education. Critics and supporters debated her positions on federal versus state roles in education, testing and assessment regimes promoted by organizations including the National Assessment of Educational Progress stakeholders, and implementation practices contested by teachers' unions such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. Controversies during and after her tenure included scrutiny over communications with education vendors, debates with governors and state chief school officers, and media coverage in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico addressing policy impacts, legal challenges, and administrative decisions. She also engaged in national conversations about higher education affordability involving the Department of Education's loan and grant policies and interactions with accrediting bodies such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Personal life and honors

Spellings is married and has family ties in Texas and the Southern United States, maintaining involvement with civic and faith-based organizations in communities including Dallas, Austin, Texas, and Houston. Her honors include awards and recognitions from institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin, state education associations, and national policy organizations, and she has been a frequent recipient of honorary degrees and invitational lectureships at universities like Harvard University, Georgetown University, and Princeton University. She continues to participate in boards and advisory councils affiliated with higher education institutions, policy centers, and philanthropic foundations.

Category:United States Secretaries of Education Category:People from McComb, Mississippi