Partner
Margaret Buckton brings over 20 years legislative and lobbying experience, with previous management experience in the private sector. 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 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 in 1998 first as School Finance Director, later served as the Associate Executive Director, 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. Margaret was also a member of IASB's Lighthouse Study research team. During Margaret’s leadership tenure at IASB, school districts advocated for and achieved legislative approval for significant new initiatives in early childhood/preschool, professional development, property tax equity, equity in application of state across-the-board budget cuts, PPEL expansion, and the state penny sales tax for school infrastructure. Margaret serves as an instructor for the Iowa Principal Leadership Academy, Drake University, Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa’s administrator programs and has been a distinguished lecturer at the University of Iowa School of Education. Margaret has served as a community representative board member for the Drake University Head Start Policy Council and as a Des Moines Public Schools School Board Member, and is currently on the Drake Head Start Advisory Committee working on budget and federal compliance issues. Among her responsibilities at ISFIS include lobbying for the Urban Education Network of Iowa and the Rural School Advocates of Iowa. Margaret has been part of ISFIS since September 2009.
Click here to email Margaret
Cell: (515) 201-3755
Office: (515) 251-5970 ext 1