Secretary Duncan Announces Change at Chief of Staff
Secretary Duncan announced Tuesday that Margot Rogers is leaving her post as chief of staff, effective June 30. In remarks this week at meeting of Department employees, he called Rogers an “amazing partner for me, someone whose judgment I trust implicitly.” He praised her “tremendous work ethic,” saying that she “really represented the culture we are trying to build here, where it’s never about Margot, but always about the team trying to get better.” He noted that Rogers was leaving to spend more time with her two school-age sons.
Rogers has served as chief of staff throughout the first year and one half of the secretary’s tenure, helping to assemble his leadership team and to manage a variety of initiatives, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs to internal reform at the Department.
Prior to joining the administration, she worked for more than 15 years for foundations and nonprofit organizations on issues of education policy and practice. Most recently, she served as the special assistant to the director of education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Secretary named Joanne Weiss, currently the director of the Race to the Top initiative, as the new chief of staff. He praised Weiss for “her intelligence, her commitment, her thoughtfulness and her sense of teamwork,” and noted her “great relationships across the Department, and tremendous respect in states across the country.”
Before coming to the Department, Weiss served in the leadership of New Schools Venture Fund, a national nonprofit venture philanthropy firm, for eight years, where she led the organization’s research agenda and oversaw operations. Prior to that, she held senior positions in a number of companies involved in education reform and technology.
Rogers has served as chief of staff throughout the first year and one half of the secretary’s tenure, helping to assemble his leadership team and to manage a variety of initiatives, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs to internal reform at the Department.
Prior to joining the administration, she worked for more than 15 years for foundations and nonprofit organizations on issues of education policy and practice. Most recently, she served as the special assistant to the director of education at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Secretary named Joanne Weiss, currently the director of the Race to the Top initiative, as the new chief of staff. He praised Weiss for “her intelligence, her commitment, her thoughtfulness and her sense of teamwork,” and noted her “great relationships across the Department, and tremendous respect in states across the country.”
Before coming to the Department, Weiss served in the leadership of New Schools Venture Fund, a national nonprofit venture philanthropy firm, for eight years, where she led the organization’s research agenda and oversaw operations. Prior to that, she held senior positions in a number of companies involved in education reform and technology.
