Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kelly Loeffler

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Kelly Loeffler made an impact.

Kelly Loeffler is an American businesswoman and politician. A Republican, she served as a U.S. Senator for Georgia from 2020 to 2021. Currently, she holds the position of the 28th administrator of the Small Business Administration, starting from February 20, 2025.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

2002: Joined Intercontinental Exchange

In 2002, Kelly Loeffler joined Intercontinental Exchange, a commodity and financial service provider, in investor relations.

2010: Bought Minority Stake in Atlanta Dream

In 2010, Kelly Loeffler bought a minority stake in the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

2011: Bought Atlanta Dream with Mary Brock

In 2011, Kelly Loeffler and Mary Brock bought the Atlanta Dream WNBA team from Kathy Betty.

2012: Donation to Restore Our Future

In 2012, Kelly Loeffler donated $750,000 to Restore Our Future, a super PAC supporting Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

2018: Became CEO of Bakkt

In 2018, Kelly Loeffler became the chief executive officer (CEO) of Bakkt, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange.

December 4, 2019: Loeffler Appointed to Senate

On December 4, 2019, Governor Kemp appointed Kelly Loeffler to fill Johnny Isakson's unexpired term until the next regularly scheduled statewide election in November 2020.

December 2019: Political Donations

As of December 2019, Kelly Loeffler and her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, had donated $3.2 million to political committees, with the majority going to Republicans.

December 2019: Appointed to U.S. Senate

In December 2019, Kelly Loeffler was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp following Senator Johnny Isakson's resignation due to health reasons.

January 6, 2020: Sworn into the Senate

On January 6, 2020, Kelly Loeffler was sworn in to the Senate, becoming the second woman to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate.

May 2020: Husband's Donation to Trump Reelection

In May 2020, Kelly Loeffler's husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, donated $1 million to a Trump 2020 reelection super PAC.

November 2020: Special Election

Kelly Loeffler was appointed to fill Johnny Isakson's unexpired term until the next regularly scheduled statewide election in November 2020.

November 2020: Runoff election scheduled

The appointment to the Senate was valid until the runoff election scheduled for January 5, 2021, because no candidate in the November 2020 election received a majority of the vote.

December 6, 2020: Loeffler participated in a debate

On December 6, 2020, Kelly Loeffler participated in a debate where she repeatedly accused her opponent of being a "radical liberal" and did not acknowledge Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. She also announced her support for $2,000 COVID-19 stimulus payments.

January 1, 2021: Loeffler absented herself from Trump veto override

On January 1, 2021, Kelly Loeffler did not participate in the override of President Trump's veto of the defense spending bill.

January 3, 2021: Ascended to Senior Senator from Georgia

On January 3, 2021, upon the end of David Perdue's term, Kelly Loeffler became the senior senator from Georgia. She held the position for just under three weeks until Warnock was sworn in.

January 5, 2021: Lost Senate Runoff Election

On January 5, 2021, Kelly Loeffler lost the Georgia U.S. Senate special election runoff to Democrat Raphael Warnock. Fellow Georgia senator David Perdue also lost his bid for re-election that same day.

January 6, 2021: Withdraws Objection to Electoral College Certification

After the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Kelly Loeffler announced that she would withdraw her objection to the certification of the electoral votes and later voted to certify.

January 2021: Changed Vote on Electoral College Certification

During the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count in January 2021, Kelly Loeffler, after witnessing the storming of the U.S. Capitol, changed her mind and voted to certify the election results.