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Related Resources•Office of the Deputy Secretary | *A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n*William D. Hansen, Deputy Secretary of Education—Biography
William D. Hansen was sworn in as the deputy secretary of education on May 24, 2001. In this post, Hansen serves as the Department of Education's (ED) chief operating officer and the principal adviser to Secretary Rod Paige on programs, policies, management and budget matters. He was formally nominated as deputy secretary by President George W. Bush on April 23, 2001, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate a month later on May 22. The president announced his intention to nominate Hansen, 42, who served as the Education Department transition team director for the Bush-Cheney Transition, on March 8.

From 1993 until his appointment as deputy secretary, Hansen served as the president and CEO of the Education Finance Council, which works to expand educational opportunities for students to pursue their dreams of a postsecondary education. In this capacity Hansen managed the interests of organizations that held more than $40 billion in student aid. He has also served on several state and national boards and commissions on reforming elementary and secondary schools and increasing access to higher education, including the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education.

An 11-year Department veteran, Hansen, prior to joining the Education Finance Council, held a number of posts at ED from 1981 to 1993, excluding two years from 1988 to 1990 when he was, first, deputy director of public affairs at the Department of Commerce and, then, headed the intergovernmental and industry affairs office at the Department of Energy. Hansen, who first came to ED in 1981 as a legislative assistant, later served as acting assistant secretary for legislation and congressional affairs and deputy assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. From 1990 to 1991, he served as acting deputy under secretary for planning, budget, and evaluation. From 1991 to 1993, he was the assistant secretary for management and budget and the chief financial officer.

A native of Pocatello, Idaho, Hansen holds a B.S. degree in economics from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. He and his wife, Kasi, live in McLean, Va., with their six children.

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