Ambassador Kay Bailey Hutchison

With decades of experience in the public and private sectors, Kay Bailey Hutchison is a public servant and businesswoman who has served in roles from bank executive to U.S. Senator to most recently, U.S. Ambassador to NATO. 

In January 2021, she stepped down from her appointment as U.S. Ambassador to The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium, where she managed the 250-person mission.  In her service to NATO, she worked to maintain US leadership in the 30 Ally Alliance.

Kay served as U.S. Senator from Texas from 1993 to 2013.  During this time, she was elected by her peers to serve as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the 4th highest ranking Republican leadership position.  Committee service included Ranking Member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and Chairman of the Military Construction Committee of Appropriations.  She also served on the Banking and Armed Services Committees. She was elected for two terms as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Between her service as U.S. Ambassador and U.S. Senator, she served as a member of the Bank of America Global Advisory Board and as a contributor to the CNBC network. 

In 1990, Kay was elected Texas State Treasurer, where she led the fight against a state income tax and put restrictions on state debt to assure long term fiscal responsibility. During her term, President George H. W. Bush appointed her to the U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Advisory Commission, which submitted its report to Congress in 1991. 

Her business experience between 1978 and 1990 included the role of Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Republic Bank Corporation, the largest bank holding company in Texas at the time. 

She was elected for two terms to the Texas House of Representatives, serving from 1972 to 1976, and was appointed Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in 1976 for a two-year term. 

She now serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council and as a Senior Advisor at CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).  She also serves on the Bank of America Global Advisory Board and the Dallas Mayor’s International Advisory Council.  She is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group.

In 2013, the Dallas City Council voted to name the city’s convention center the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.  In July 2013, President Barack Obama signed into law the bill to rename Section 219(c) of the Internal Revenue Code the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA, honoring her sponsorship of the bill creating a new retirement vehicle.  The Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law and Business (KBH Energy Center) was created in 2013 by the University of Texas to provide unique opportunities for business and law school students to learn the energy industry.  The Center sponsors an annual symposium for leaders in the energy field to discuss current issues in the industry 

Senator Hutchison has authored three books, including the bestselling American Heroines: The Spirited Women Who Shaped Our Country (2004), Leading Ladies: American Trailblazers (2007) and Unflinching Courage: Pioneering Women Who Shaped Texas (2013).

She is Managing Partner of Bailey Management Partnership, her family business.

Education

BA, The University of Texas at Austin

JD, The University of Texas School of Law           

Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, Co-Founder and Honorary Chairman

UT Law School Foundation Board of Trustees

MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors

UT Southwestern Medical Foundation Board of Trustees

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Sr. Advisor

Mayor’s International Advisory Council, City of Dallas

The Chertoff Group, Sr. Advisor

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Advisory Council

Noteworthy

Center for American and International Law Great Leaders Award, 2022

DFW World Affairs Council Award for Leadership in International Relations, 2020

UT Business School Hall of Fame, 2019

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering Congressional Champion, 2014

Southern Methodist University Literati Award, 2014

Outstanding Alumnus, University of Texas, 1995

Forbes Magazine World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, 2005

Woodrow Wilson Center Award for Public Service, 2003

Ladies Home Journal 30 Most Powerful Women in America, 2001