Robin Berkley is the Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education at the George W. Bush Institute, where she develops and oversees research and policy work in the Institute’s opportunity portfolio. She is particularly focused on K-12 literacy, statewide longitudinal data systems, district accountability, and post-secondary readiness so that students are prepared to become successful members of their communities. In this position, she also administers the awarding of grants by the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries and announces titles selected for the Laura Bush Book Club.
Berkley has spent two decades focused on improving opportunities for children and families. She has worked in leadership roles at the Texas Education Agency as well as EducationCounsel, a national, mission-based education consulting firm that combines policy, strategy, law, and advocacy to improve the U.S. education system.
She served as the Executive Director of Horton’s Kids, a site-based organization in southeast Washington, D.C., from 2014 to 2020. It supports 500 children and families living in an under-resourced U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development housing community by providing education, mental health, basic needs, career preparation, mentoring, and enrichment programs. The graduation rate of children in Horton’s Kids rose to 100% from 65% during her tenure.
Berkley’s passion for children extends to all aspects of her life. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Educational First Steps and has been an active volunteer with Reading Partners, Junior Achievement, and KIPP DC. She has also served as a Board Member of Many Hands Washington, D.C., and Board Chair of the Blue Igloo Early Childhood Cooperative. She is a proud “mom” to two godsons, who became permanent members of their family several years ago and who graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory of Dallas in 2023. Both now attend Loyola University in New Orleans.
Berkley is married and lives in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas with her husband, their 7-year-old twins, and two King Charles cavaliers. She is an active member of Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church and Board Member for the parents’ associations for the Lamplighter School and the Hockaday School. She is a graduate of the Hockaday School and has a bachelor’s in finance from Wake Forest University and a master’s in public policy from Duke University.