Margaret Spellings

Margaret M. Spellings is an American public‑service executive who served as the United States Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009 and later led several higher‑education institutions and policy organizations. After her tenure in Washington, she became president of the University of North Carolina System (2016–2019), then president and chief executive officer of Texas 2036 (2019–2023). In 2024 she assumed the role of president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a national think‑tank that brings together leaders from both political parties to address public policy challenges.

Early life and career

Spellings was born Margaret M. Dudar on November 30, 1957, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. When she entered third grade her family relocated to Houston, Texas, where she completed her secondary education at Sharpstown High School, graduating in 1975. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Houston in 1979.

Her early professional work focused on educational policy and governance. Spellings served on an education reform commission under Texas Governor William P. Clements and later became associate executive director for the Texas Association of School Boards. In 1994 she was appointed political director for George W. Bush’s first gubernatorial campaign, and from 1995 to 2000 she worked as a senior advisor to Bush during his tenure as governor of Texas.

Cabinet tenure

Following the departure of Secretary Rod Paige, President George W. Bush nominated Spellings to lead the U.S. Department of Education on November 17, 2004. The Senate confirmed her appointment on January 20, 2005, and she was sworn in on January 31, 2005. She became the second woman to hold the position.

Spellings’ tenure coincided with the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), a federal initiative aimed at improving student achievement through accountability measures. In April 2005 she addressed PBS’s *The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer*, describing Connecticut’s resistance to NCLB as “soft bigotry of low expectations.” The statement underscored her commitment to enforcing the law’s requirements for all states.

A notable episode early in her service involved a controversy over an episode of the children’s program *Postcards from Buster*. On January 21, 2005—one day after confirmation—Spellings wrote to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) urging that the episode not be aired. The episode depicted a young bunny visiting Vermont and meeting children with lesbian parents. Spellings cited concerns that the content might expose young viewers to lifestyles she believed many parents would find inappropriate. PBS ultimately chose not to distribute the episode, although WGBH in Boston indicated it could still air it if other stations agreed.

In May 2007 Spellings testified before the House Education and Labor Committee amid criticism from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo that the Department had failed to adequately oversee student loan programs. The scrutiny focused on allegations of corruption and conflicts of interest within for‑profit educational institutions, particularly those linked to the University of Phoenix. Spellings defended the department’s oversight practices and noted her prior service on the board of directors for Apollo Group, the parent company of the university.

During her first year in office she announced the formation of the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education—commonly referred to as the Spellings Commission—in September 2005. The commission was tasked with recommending a national strategy for reforming post‑secondary education, emphasizing workforce readiness and research commercialization. Its work extended to evaluating how well high schools prepared students for college, thereby addressing the pipeline from secondary to tertiary education.

Spellings served throughout President Bush’s second term (2005–2009), overseeing federal education policy during a period of significant legislative activity and public debate over accountability, school choice, and higher‑education financing.

Legacy

After leaving Washington in 2009, Spellings continued to influence educational policy through leadership roles in academia and nonprofit organizations. She was appointed president of the University of North Carolina System in 2016, where she oversaw seventeen campuses across the state until 2019. Her tenure there focused on expanding access to higher education and strengthening institutional governance.

From 2019 to 2023 Spellings served as president and CEO of Texas 2036, a statewide initiative aimed at preparing Texas students for future economic opportunities through workforce development and educational partnerships. In this role she worked to align K‑12 curricula with emerging industry needs and to foster collaborations between schools, businesses, and community organizations.

In 2024 Spellings became president and chief executive officer of the Bipartisan Policy Center. The organization seeks to bring together leaders from both major political parties to craft policy solutions on a range of national issues, including education reform. Her appointment reflects her long‑standing commitment to evidence‑based policymaking and cross‑party collaboration.

Spellings’ career is marked by a consistent focus on educational accountability, workforce readiness, and the integration of higher‑education institutions into broader economic strategies. Her leadership of the Spellings Commission helped shape national conversations about post‑secondary education reform, while her subsequent roles in university administration and policy advocacy demonstrate an ongoing dedication to improving access and outcomes for students across the United States.