Keynote Speaker

Sara Martinez Tucker, Under Secretary

Sara Martinez Tucker is the Under Secretary of Education, the Department's top higher education official. She was nominated to her post by President George W. Bush on Sept. 5, 2006, and confirmed by the Senate on Dec. 9, 2006. As under secretary, she oversees all policies, programs and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid. She also is leading efforts to carry out the recommendations from Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' Commission on the Future of Higher Education, which called for expanding the accessibility, affordability, and accountability of postsecondary education for all Americans.

Prior to joining the Department, Tucker worked for nine years as the CEO and president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), where she pursued an aggressive goal to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees by 2010. In her time at the helm of HSF, Tucker raised $280 million for scholarships and community outreach programs to raise college expectations in Latino families and communities. In 2005, she also agreed to serve on the Secretary's Higher Ed Commission - the group whose recommendations she is now tasked with implementing.

Last updated/reviewed September 12, 2007