Ruthanne Buck

Ruthanne Buck served as a Senior Adviser to U.S. Secretaries of Education John King and Arne Duncan for educator outreach and engagement. Buck was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve in the Department first as Chief of Staff of the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs in April 2012 and served in her role as Senior Adviser to the Secretary from January 2014 through January 2017. Prior to joining the Department, she served as an Assistant to President Randi Weingarten at the American Federation of Teachers.

Buck began her career in 2001 at the Democratic National Committee working on women's and LGBT issues. Over the course of her career, she has led major field and political operations on behalf of progressive issues, agencies and candidates, with a particular focus on education issues. She was raised in Alexandria, Louisiana; educated at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts; and lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.