Kelly Loeffler

Kelly Lynn Loeffler is an American businesswoman and politician who served as a United States senator for Georgia from 2020 to 2021. Loeffler was chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of commodity and financial service provider Intercontinental Exchange, of which her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is CEO. She is a former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Loeffler is a member of the Republican Party.

Brian Kemp, the Republican governor of Georgia, appointed Loeffler to the U.S. Senate in December 2019 after Senator Johnny Isakson resigned for health reasons. Loeffler ran in the 2020 Georgia U.S. Senate special election, seeking to hold the Senate seat until January 3, 2023. She finished second in the November 3 election, advancing to a runoff with Democrat Raphael Warnock held on January 5, 2021. She lost the runoff election to Warnock. In the same election, her fellow Georgia senator, David Perdue, also lost. When Perdue's term ended on January 3, 2021, Loeffler ascended to be the senior senator from Georgia, a position she held for just under three weeks, until Warnock and Jon Ossoff were sworn in.

Loeffler aligned with President Donald Trump, touting her "100 percent Trump voting record" during the campaign. 
Kelly earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the College of Commerce at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She is a CFA® charterholder. She built a nearly three-decade career advancing in the automotive and financial services industries at companies including Toyota Motor Sales USA, Citigroup and William Blair.

Loeffler was born in Bloomington, Illinois, to Don and Lynda (née Munsell) Loeffler, and raised on her family's corn and soybean farm in Stanford, Illinois. She has a brother, Brian. In 1988, she graduated from Olympia High School in Stanford, where she was in marching band, ran cross-country and track, and played varsity basketball.

In 1992, Loeffler graduated with a Bachelor of Science in marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's Gies College of Business, where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. After college, she worked for Toyota as a District Account Manager. In 1999, Loeffler graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in international finance and marketing from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She financed her graduate school tuition by mortgaging land inherited from her grandparents.

After earning her MBA, Loeffler worked for Citibank, William Blair & Company, and the Crossroads Group. In 2002, she joined Intercontinental Exchange, a commodity and financial service provider, in investor relations. She married the firm's CEO, Jeffrey Sprecher, in 2004. Loeffler was eventually promoted to senior vice president of investor relations and corporate communications. In 2018, she became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange.

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. In February 2021, Loeffler sold her stake in the team.

When Loeffler left Intercontinental Exchange to join the Senate, the company awarded her over $9 million of financial assets. 

Kelly's motto is “If you’re not serving, you’re not leading.”

her vision encompasses a commitment to advancing financial innovation and empowering women in sports.

Loeffler's vision revolves around fostering economic growth and job creation through the adoption of blockchain technology and digital assets. She believes in the transformative power of digital currencies and their potential to revolutionize the financial industry. With her background in finance and experience in the cryptocurrency space, Loeffler is dedicated to driving innovation and advocating for regulatory clarity to support the development and mainstream adoption of blockchain technology.

Additionally, Loeffler is passionate about promoting gender equality and empowering women in sports. As a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, she strives to create a supportive and inclusive environment for female athletes, encouraging their participation and leadership in the world of professional sports. Loeffler envisions a future where women athletes are given equal opportunities, recognition, and compensation, and she actively works towards achieving gender parity in sports.