Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education and now President & CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), recently sat down with the George W. Bush Institute to share lessons from decades of public service. She underscored how bipartisan work can still move the needle, pointing to BPC’s long push to expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit as proof that persistence and coalition-building deliver results.

Reflecting on No Child Left Behind, Spellings stressed the importance of accountability, data, and a relentless focus on student achievement—principles she believes are urgently needed again as reading and math gaps widen. She also highlighted the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, which she helped launch, as a model for preparing the next generation of service-minded leaders.

Her leadership, shaped by years alongside President and Mrs. Bush, continues to center on character, humility, and the pursuit of common ground—values that guide both BPC and the Bush Institute, and align with Waypoint’s mission to support cross-sector solutions that last.