ISFIS Partner
Margaret Buckton brings over 30 years legislative and lobbying experience, with management roles in private, public and nonprofit sectors. In addition to helping school leaders with communications and local policy development, her responsibilities at ISFIS include lobbying, state policy development and analysis as Executive Director for the Urban Education Network of (UEN) and she is the Professional Advocate for the Rural School Advocates of Iowa (RSAI). Margaret has been part of ISFIS since September 2009.
Margaret is a Des Moines Public Schools Hoover High School graduate, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University in Speech Communications, with areas of concentration in economics and sociology, while traveling the national circuit on Northwestern’s debate team. Margaret was a Fiscal Analyst with the Iowa Legislative Fiscal Bureau where she staffed various appropriations subcommittees, including Administration and Regulation, Health and Human Rights, and Human Services. She joined the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) in 1998 as School Finance Director, and later served as the Associate Executive Director of Public Policy for IASB through 2009. Margaret’s key responsibilities included legislative and executive branch lobbying, grassroots organizing, policy development, and leadership and advocacy training. Margaret served a two-year appointment on the Legislative Property Tax Interim Study Committee in 2008 and 2009 and was appointed to Iowa’s English-language Learner Tax Force in 2013. Margaret was also a member of IASB's Lighthouse Study research team. Margaret served as a School Board Member in Des Moines. Margaret currently serves as an instructor for the Iowa Principal Leadership Academy, Drake University, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa’s administrator licensure programs. Margaret is currently on the Drake Head Start Advisory Committee, focusing on budget and federal compliance issues, and was recently appointed as a trustee on the Regional Education Laboratory Midwest Governing Board representing Iowa.
Margaret and her husband, John, live on the north side of Des Moines, where they raised four children and can have anywhere from 1-3 dogs running in the backyard. Margaret loves gardening, cooking, golfing, yoga and home improvement projects.
Cell: (515) 201-3755
Office: (515) 251-5970 ext 1