Contributor

Margaret Spellings, President and CEO, Margaret Spellings and Company, and Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings is the President and CEO of Margaret Spellings and Company and immediate past United States Secretary of Education. As a member of the President's Cabinet, Spellings led the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a historic national initiative to provide enhanced accountability for the education of 50 million U.S. public school students. On the postsecondary side, Spellings launched a national higher education policy debate and action plan on higher education to improve accessibility, affordability, and accountability in our nation's colleges and universities, and led the federal government's efforts to ensure access to student loans amidst turmoil in the credit markets. She initiated extensive international outreach and collaboration with 23 countries, including leading delegations of university presidents and presidential delegations as well as overseeing the signing of international education agreements with countries such as China, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.

As White House Domestic Policy Advisor from 2001 to 2005, she managed the development of the President's domestic policy agenda, with oversight of education, health, transportation, justice, housing, and labor policy. Her achievements include the development and passage of NCLB, oversight of the development of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the development of a comprehensive immigration plan to ensure long-term economic stability and to secure U.S. borders, and numerous other initiatives on health and human services, transportation, labor and housing. Prior to her service in the White House, Spellings served as Senior Advisor to then-Governor George W. Bush of Texas, led government relations efforts for the Texas Association of School boards, served in various leadership capacities for the Texas legislature, and worked for local education organizations including Austin Community College.