Forum for Innovation

Margaret Spellings is a senior adviser to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. She is one of the nation’s leading experts on public policy. She serves as president and CEO of Margaret Spellings and Company and provides strategic guidance to some of the most recognized philanthropic and private sector organizations in the world. 

Spellings served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009. In that role, she oversaw an agency with a nearly $70 billion budget and more than 10,000 employees and contractors. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, she 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. 

In higher education, Spellings launched a national policy debate and action plan to improve accessibility, affordability, and accountability in our nation’s colleges and universities. She initiated international outreach and collaboration by leading delegations on behalf of the President of the United States as well as overseeing the development and implementation of international education agreements with such countries as China, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. 

As White House domestic policy adviser from 2001 to 2005, Spellings managed the development of the President’s domestic policy agenda. 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, justice, and housing. 

Prior to her service in the White House, Spellings was senior adviser to then-Gov. George W. Bush of Texas, led governmental and external relations for the Texas Association of School Boards, and served in key positions at Austin Community College and with the Texas Legislature. 

Spellings serves on the boards of several funds in the American Funds family managed by the Capital Research and Management Company. She is a member of the ConnectEDU board of directors, America’s Promise Alliance, and Special Olympics. She is also a member of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Advisory Council and The Aspen Institute Commission to Reform the Federal Appointments Process. 

Spellings is an experienced public speaker and media personality who speaks with authority on policy and politics to business and civic audiences. She has appeared on major network and cable broadcast stations, including NBC’s Meet the Press and The Today Show, as well as Celebrity Jeopardy, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and the Colbert Report. In addition, her writings have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading national publications.