Elizabeth M. Duke earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Douglass College of Rutgers University, a master's degree in political science and African studies from Northwestern University, and a doctorate in political science from George Washington University.

 

Before joining the government, Duke was a professor of political science and spent two years as a research writer for Congressional Quarterly, a Washington, D.C.-based publication that covers Capitol Hill and Federal agencies.

 

Duke entered Federal service at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), where she eventually served as deputy assistant director and director of policy and systems in OPM's Office of Training and Development from 1984-86. From 1978-84, she was director of the Government Affairs Institute in OPM's Office of Executive and Management Development.

 

Prior to joining HRSA, Duke served as deputy assistant secretary for administration in the Administration for Children and Families (in the HHS). She has more than 12 years of experience in HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management and Budget (OASMB, currently called the Office of Resources and Technology), as both acting assistant secretary and principal deputy.

 

Duke served as acting administrator of HRSA in 2005 before being named administrator in 2006.

 

Long before she became involved in government, Duke played a role in making the Beatles popular in the United States. In 1963, Duke was married to a Washington radio DJ named Carroll James. No Beatles record had yet been released in the U.S. Duke and her husband arranged for an airline pilot to pick up a copy of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” from the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein in London and bring it to the U.S., after which James played it on the air every hour until Capitol Records finally released the American single.