The Aspen Institute

Kay Bailey Hutchison stepped down from her term as U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO in Brussels, Belgium in 2021. For 3.5 years, she focused on the importance of U.S. leadership in the alliance and strengthening the trans-Atlantic bond that provides the security umbrella for Europe and North America. From 1993-2013, she was the U.S. Senator representing Texas. There, she was elected by her peers to chair the Republican Policy Committee, the fourth highest leadership position. She was Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee and Chairman of the Military Construction Committee on Appropriations. She served two terms as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Significant legislation included reauthorization and reform of NASA with Senator Bill Nelson and the Hutchison-Mikulski legislation establishing a new retirement vehicle, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA. As Texas State Treasurer, 1991-1993, she proposed limits on state debt which the state legislature adopted and led to the successful defeat of a state income tax. Ambassador Hutchison is the author of three books, including the bestseller American Heroines. The Dallas City Council named the city’s convention center in her honor in 2013. She earned a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from the UT law school. She is a Senior Advisor at CSIS.