Squadbuck is a small, for-profit consulting firm consisting of a few former Obama administration officials and labor union activists, most of whom have also worked directly in Democratic politics. The company is headed by Ruthanne Buck, who served as Chief of Staff for Legislation and Congressional Affairs in the Obama administration’s Department of Education. Buck worked on the transition team for President Joe Biden as one of twenty officials serving on the education transition team. ¹

Background

Squadbuck bills itself as a consulting firm consisting of Obama administration alumni and union staffers and claims to consult for various nonprofit organizations to promote efficiency. ² The company advertises consulting services in categories including leadership, strategy, communications, and fundraising. Squadbuck offers specific services, including leadership and candidate training, crisis management, stakeholder relations, voter mobilization, union organizing, digital communications, messaging, marketing, grant writing, donor cultivation, and grant management. ³

People

Squadbuck was founded by Ruthanne Buck, who served in the U.S. Department of Education as a Senior Adviser to Education Secretaries John King and Arne Duncan. From January 2014 to January 2017, Buck served as Chief of Staff in the Department of Education Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs, a presidentially-appointed position. Prior to working in the Obama administration, Buck worked at the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) labor union as an assistant to Randi Weingarten, president of AFT. Early in her career, Buck worked for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and led many political operations as a Democratic political operative and activist. Much of her career has been focused on education issues. Buck is a Louisiana native who attended Smith College in Massachusetts and currently resides in the Washington, D.C. area. ⁴

Emily M. Davis is listed as one of the four employees at Squadbuck and is also a former Obama administration Department of Education staffer. Prior to serving in the Obama administration, Davis was a public schoolteacher for ten years. While at the Department of Education, Davis was responsible for managing external engagement with teachers, teacher organizations and unions, and the public. ⁵

Regina Grossman also works as a consultant for Squadbuck. Grossman previously worked as a digital strategist at the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and as a senior communications associate at the AFT, where she focused on state education and labor policy and legislation. Grossman also previously worked at Amnesty International, where she managed several campaigns, including those concerning the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty and the Maryland DREAM Act. ⁶

Biden Transition

In November 2020, Squadbuck founder and CEO Ruthanne Buck was named to the education transition team for President Joe Biden. The reported focus of President Biden’s educational transition team was targeting many of former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s programs supporting school choice policy and charter schools. Showing a commitment to left-of-center education policy and strong support for union stances on education, other members of the education transition team included representatives from labor unions, including the AFT and the National Education Association (NEA), as well as left-leaning groups The Century Foundation, UnidosUS, the Learning Policy Institute, and Open Education Global. ⁷

1. Schaffhauser, Dian “Biden Transition Team Reflects Support for Public Education, Teachers and Equity.” Campus Technology. November 18, 2020. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/11/18/biden-transition-team-reflects-support-for-public-education-teachers-and-equity.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2ngVxEfxrVztnLZ0jl4fuUA1q3IY5pxyimgj737L5AtEsRD0tg_v8hA2M
2. “Home.” Squadbuck. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://www.squadbuck.com/home
3. “What We Do.” Squadbuck. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://www.squadbuck.com/what-we-do
4. “Ruthanne Buck.” Squadbuck. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/people/ruthanne-buck 
5. “Our Team.” Squadbuck. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://www.squadbuck.com/our-team
6. “Our Team.” Squadbuck. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://www.squadbuck.com/our-team
7. Schaffhauser, Dian “Biden Transition Team Reflects Support for Public Education, Teachers and Equity.” Campus Technology. November 18, 2020. Accessed January 13, 2021. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2020/11/18/biden-transition-team-reflects-support-for-public-education-teachers-and-equity.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2ngVxEfxrVztnLZ0jl4fuUA1q3IY5pxyimgj737L5AtEsRD0tg_v8hA2M