Margaret Spellings

Margaret Spellings
8th United States Secretary of Education
In office
January 20, 2005 – January 20, 2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
DeputyRaymond Simon
Preceded byRod Paige
Succeeded byArne Duncan
Director of the Domestic Policy Council
In office
January 30, 2002 – January 5, 2005
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byJohn Bridgeland
Succeeded byClaude Allen
President of the University of North Carolina
In office
March 1, 2016 – March 1, 2019
Preceded byThomas W. Ross
Succeeded byWilliam L. Roper (interim)
Personal details
Born
Margaret M. Dudar

(1957-11-30) November 30, 1957 (age 66)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Gregg LaMontagne (divorced)
Robert Spellings (divorced)
Children2 daughters
EducationUniversity of Houston (BA)

Margaret M. LaMontagne Spellings (née Dudar; born November 30, 1957) is an American government and non-profit executive who serves as president and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center.[1] She previously served as the eighth United States secretary of education from 2005 to 2009. After leaving the government, Spellings served as president of the University of North Carolina System, overseeing the seventeen campus system from 2016 to 2019. She then served as president and CEO of Texas 2036 from 2019 to 2023.[2]

Spellings worked in several positions under George W. Bush during his tenure as Governor of Texas and President of the United States. She was one of the principal proponents of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act that aimed at reforming primary and secondary education. She served as education secretary for the entire second term of Bush's administration, during which time she convened the Commission on the Future of Higher Education to recommend reform at the post-secondary level.

  1. ^ Daniels, Eugene; Lizza, Ryan; Ross, Garrett; Bade, Rachael (June 5, 2023). "Playbook: Christie. Pence. Burgum?". Politico. Washington, DC. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Grieder, Erica (September 25, 2019). "Texas 2036 founder says planning for Texas' future can't wait". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2020.