With his presidential library now open, former President George W. Bush brought in new leadership for his foundation and public policy institute on Thursday, turning to one of his longest serving and most trusted advisers.
Margaret Spellings, who worked for Mr. Bush when he was governor of Texas and then followed him to Washington, where she worked in the White House and later became education secretary, will take over as president of the George W. Bush Foundation in September. She will also direct Mr. Bush’s public policy institute.
“Laura and I are thrilled that Margaret Spellings is coming home to Texas to join us at the Bush Center,†Mr. Bush said in a statement posted on the presidential center’s Web site. “Margaret is a smart, capable, effective leader who gets results.â€
Ms. Spellings had remained in Washington after Mr. Bush left office, and founded a consulting firm that provides strategic advice to philanthropic organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
She succeeds Mark Langdale, another longtime Bush friend who steered the foundation through its major fund-raising campaign to build the presidential library, which was dedicated in April. Mr. Langdale will serve on the foundation’s board of directors.
Ms. Spellings also takes over the public policy institute from James K. Glassman, a former undersecretary of state who built it from the ground up to focus on priorities like spreading democracy, improving global health and strengthening education.
Mr. Glassman will remain an adviser to Ms. Spellings but will return to the private sector to be a visiting fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute in Washington. “I loved the job,†he said in an e-mail to friends, “and, with April’s opening of the Bush Center, I accomplished what I set out to do.â€
