Marguerite W. Kondracke
President and CEO, America's Promise Alliance
Marguerite W. Kondracke has served as President and CEO of the America’s Promise Alliance since 2004. America’s Promise was founded in 1997 by General Colin L. Powell to make children and youth a national priority, mobilizing all Americans to fulfill Five Promises for our nation’s young people: caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others. With almost 400 national partners, America’s Promise is currently focused on addressing the nation’s high school dropout crisis.
During her 40-year career, Mrs. Kondracke has been both an entrepreneur and a public servant, focusing on the needs of children and families. Prior to joining the Alliance, she served as Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander as well as Staff Director for the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. She also served in the cabinet of then Tennessee Governor Alexander as Commissioner of the Department of Human Services. Previously, Mrs. Kondracke was co-founder and CEO of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, the nation’s largest provider of employer-sponsored child care and one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Today she continues to serve on the company’s board of directors. She is also a member of the board of directors of Saks Fifth Avenue (NYSE:SKS), LifePoint Hospitals (NASDAQ: LPNT), and Teachscape. Mrs. Kondracke also serves on the board of Independent Sector and The Conservation Fund.
Throughout her career, Mrs. Kondracke has received numerous awards and honors; including being named a Purpose Prize Fellow, awarded by Civic Ventures to those over 60 taking on society’s biggest challenges. For the past two years, Mrs. Kondracke has been named by The Non-Profit Times as one of the “Top 50 People of Power and Influence.
She is an alumna and now a trustee of Duke University, where she co-chairs DukeEngage, which makes civic engagement an integral part of the undergraduate experience. Mrs. Kondracke also holds a master’s degree in psychology from Austin Peay State University. She is married to awardwinning journalist Morton Kondracke; they enjoy golf, international travel, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.
DEC 2009