Spellings, Margaret D. L. (Margaret Dudar LaMontagne), 1957-

Margaret Spellings was born as Margaret Dudar on November 21, 1957, in Michigan. She moved with her family to Houston, Texas when she was in third grade. She earned a BA in political science from the University of Houston. She married Robert Spellings, a lawyer in Austin, Texas, and lobbyist for the adoption of school vouchers in Texas. She worked on an education reform commission under Texas Governor William P. Clements and as associate executive director for the Texas Association of School Boards. She was the political director for George W. Bush's first gubernatorial campaign in 1994, and later became a senior advisor to Bush during his term as Governor of Texas from 1994 to 2000. She was a Domestic Policy Adviser to President George W. Bush and was one of the principal authors of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. She became Secretary of Education on January 20, 2005.