Margaret Spellings

Margaret Spellings followed Rod Paige as Secretary of the Department of Education in the second term of the George W. Bush administration. She had previously served as Bush's White House Domestic Policy Adviser. She is also a trustee of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

She is described as "So low-key that most people don't even know she exists, [however] the former Margaret La Montagne has been Bush's alter ego on education issues for more than a decade." 

According to her official White House biography, "Prior to her White House appointment, Margaret Spellings worked for six years as Governor George W. Bush's Senior Advisor, with responsibility for developing and implementing the Governor's education policy. Prior to her work in the Texas Governor's Office, Margaret worked as Political Director in President Bush's first successful gubernatorial campaign in 1994. She also worked as Associate Executive Director of the Texas Association of School Boards. Other previous experience includes work for Texas Governor William P. Clements and for members of the Texas House of Representatives. Margaret is a graduate of the University of Houston." 

SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush's White House Staff

Documents

 * President George W. Bush, "Margaret Spellings -- White House Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy", undated, accessed January 2005.

Articles & Commentary

 * Amy Goldstein, Bush's Schools Guru Expands Her Education. U.S. Policy Aide's Portfolio Covers Range of Issues, Washington Post, March 28, 2001.
 * "Margaret Spellings on Ask the White House", March 5, 2004.