Kelly Loeffler: From Business Executive to Public Servant

Kelly Lynn Loeffler is an American businesswoman and politician. Loeffler was born in Bloomington, Illinois in 1970 and grew up on a farm in Stanford, Illinois.

Education and Early Career

Loeffler earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree in business administration from DePaul University. She is also the only CFA® charterholder to ever serve in Congress.

She grew up in rural Illinois working on her family’s farm, attending public school, and waitressing. She became the first in her family to graduate college.

Business Career

For nearly three decades, Kelly Loeffler was in the private sector - growing jobs and economic opportunity in our state and beyond. She knows that low taxes empower innovators and business owners to grow, expand, and invest. Kelly supports policies that make our state and country the best place for business.

Having gained additional experience in venture capital, Kelly turned her focus to building and growing start-up companies. In 2002, she was recruited to help lead Intercontinental Exchange’s (NYSE: ICE) successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. She served as SVP of Investor Relations, Chief Communications Officer and Chief Marketing Officer while contributing to more than a dozen transactions - including the company’s acquisition of the NYSE in 2013.

She joined Intercontinental Exchange when it had under 100 employees, and then spent nearly 20 years building it into a global powerhouse and a Fortune 500 company.

In 2018, Loeffler became chief executive officer of Bakkt, an ICE unit that trades Bitcoin futures. As its CEO and first employee, she laid the foundation to take the company public in just three years.

Her career has been nothing short of amazing, proving that the American dream can be achieved through hard work, faith, with the right leaders in place.

Ownership of the Atlanta Dream

In 2010, Loeffler bought a minority stake in the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2011, she and Mary Brock bought the team from Kathy Betty. Loeffler took an active role in the team, arranging her travel schedule to attend all games and often meeting with head coach Michael Cooper during halftime to analyze the first half of the game.

Political Career

Loeffler first considered running for office in 2014.

Read also: Kelly's Path to CFL Stardom

She served in the Senate from January 2020 to January 2021, after Georgia Gov. Senate after Johnny Isakson (R) resigned in December 2019 for health reasons.

As a self-made businesswoman and political outsider in Washington, she pursued an aggressive legislative agenda to defend the values that had enabled her to live the American Dream - all while campaigning tirelessly across the state. She served on the Senate Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, HELP, and Joint Economic Committees - where she authored and championed multiple bills that were passed into law ensuring that Georgians had an outsized voice in Washington.

During her time in the Senate, Loeffler voted to acquit Trump in his first impeachment trial. On Jan. 4, 2021, Loeffler said she planned to vote against the Electoral College certification process for the 2020 presidential election. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Loeffler announced that she would end her objection to the certification of the electoral votes and later voted to certify.

Key Legislation and Policy Positions During Her Senate Term

During her time in the Senate, Loeffler co-sponsored four bills to protect the unborn. On the Veterans Affairs Committee, Kelly worked to ensure that our veterans receive the resources and care they deserve. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, she worked to advance policies that keep every part of our state - including Rural Georgia - growing.

With decades of experience in international business, Kelly understands the importance of strong foreign policy that puts America first. She supports the President's decisions to kill Iran's terrorist leader and recently applauded efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

On the HELP Committee, Kelly partnered with the President to lower prescription drug prices, end surprise medical billing, and help put people ahead of the special interests.

2020 Senate Special Election

Loeffler served in the Senate from January 2020 to January 2021, when she lost the Jan. Senate .

After the November 2020 election, Loeffler and Perdue claimed without evidence that there was voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, and called for the resignation of Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, who did not support these claims.

Allegations of Insider Trading

On April 8, Loeffler announced in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that she and her husband would sell their stock holdings and convert them to mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Loeffler said in the piece, "I’m not doing this because I have to. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”

On May 14, a spokeswoman for Loeffler said that Loeffler provided documents regarding the trades in question to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Senate Ethics Committee.

On May 26, representatives from Loeffler's office confirmed that the Department of Justice notified them of the conclusion of the investigation. The Senate Ethics Committee subsequently dismissed the allegations against Loeffler. On June 16, the committee wrote in a letter to Loeffler, "Based on all the information before it, the Committee did not find evidence that your actions violated federal law, Senate Rules, or standards of conduct.

Key Votes During the 116th Congress

Loeffler participated in key votes during the 116th United States Congress, including votes on:

CARES Act: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on March 27, 2020, that expanded benefits through the joint federal-state unemployment insurance program during the coronavirus pandemic.
Families First Coronavirus Response Act: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on March 18, 2020, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing access to unemployment benefits and food assistance, increasing funding for Medicaid, providing free testing for COVID-19, and requiring employers to provide paid sick time to employees who cannot work due to COVID-19.
Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020: The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 6074) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 6, 2020, providing emergency funding to federal agencies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021: The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and vetoed by President Donald Trump on December 23, 2020. Congress voted to override Trump's veto, and the bill became law on January 1, 2021.
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act: The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (H.R. 8337) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on October 1st, 2020, continuing appropriations to federal agencies for Fiscal Year 2021 as well as extending certain expiring programs that address issues such as health care, surface transportation, agriculture, and veterans benefits.
Impeachment of Donald John Trump: The 2020 impeachment of Donald Trump (R) was a resolution before the 116th Congress to set forth two articles of impeachment saying that Trump abused his power and obstructed congress.
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act: The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act (H.R.

Administrator of the Small Business Administration

In December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Loeffler to serve as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration under his second administration.

In a statement, Trump said, "Small Businesses are the backbone of our Great Economy. Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape, and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive.

The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee held a hearing for Loeffler on January 29, 2025. The Senate voted 52-46 to confirm Loeffler on February 19, 2025, with 51 Republicans and one Democrat, Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), voting in favor.

Priorities as SBA Administrator

If confirmed, she said she'll leverage my decades of business experience to champion America's entrepreneurs. We'll cut red tape and modernize this agency, while restoring the accountability and transparency that taxpayers deserve. I will crack down on fraud with a zero tolerance policy, while shifting SBA's focus [inaudible 00:26:39] D.C.

Personal Life

In 2004, Loeffler, then 34, married businessman Jeffrey Spreecher. Spreecher is 15 years older than Loeffler.

A devout Christian, Kelly Loeffler is unapologetically pro-life. Senate, she has co-sponsored four bills to protect the unborn. As the daughter and granddaughter of veterans, Kelly Loeffler knows that freedom isn't free and those who answered the call of duty must be honored not just with words - but by our actions.

Growing up on a farm, Kelly knows firsthand the opportunities and challenges that exist in rural communities throughout our state and country.

For over a decade, Kelly devoted her resources and efforts as a 50% owner of the WNBA Atlanta Dream. Along with her business partner, Kelly was an early visionary for supporting a platform to empower women in sports, and was one of the first members of the Atlanta business community willing to finance and invest in the success of the Atlanta Dream.

Kelly and her husband Jeff reside in Atlanta and maintain an active presence in the community.

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