Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library

Alissa Oginsky is a 6th grade US history teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools and is the 2016 Mount Vernon History Teacher of the Year She discusses her challenges in her field including working with primary sources and integrating technology into social studies instruction Kevin Casey is a 9th grade US history teacher at Pittman High School in New Jersey and was a 2016 Lifeguard Teacher Fellow at Mount Vernon His fellowship project focuses on exploring George Washingtons presidency through his mansion in Philadelphia

Nick Bunker is the author of Making Haste From Babylon a History of the Mayflower Pilgrims A former investment banker and journalist for the Financial Times he served for many years on the board of the Freud Museum London In this episode he discusses his book An Empire on the Edge How Britain Came to Fight America for which he won the 2015 George Washington Book Prize Mr Bunker spoke at the Michelle Smith Lecture Series at the Washington Library on March 16 2016

CL Bragg is the author of Distinction in Every Service Brigadier General Marcellus A Stovall CSA and coauthor of the critically acclaimed Never for Want of Powder The Confederate Powder Works in Augusta Georgia also published by the University of South Carolina Press Braggs interest in William Moultrie was sparked while researching his familys South Carolina heritage and his personal connection to the Revolutionary War Bragg spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on March 4 2014

Lindsay Chervinsky is a PhD candidate in history at the University of California Davis whose research explores how key government institutions evolved beyond the boundaries of the United States Constitution in the Early Republic Her work examines how George Washington drew on American perceptions of the British cabinet executive precedent established in the state governments and his own military leadership experience to shape the first presidential cabinet She was a research fellow at the Washington Library during the 201516 academic year

Fergus M Bordewich has been an independent historian and writer since the early 1970s As a journalist he traveled extensively in Asia the Middle East Europe and Africa writing on a variety of topics He also served for brief periods as an editor and writer for the Tehran Journal in Iran in 19721973 a press officer for the United Nations in 19801982 and an advisor to the New China News Agency in Beijing in 19821983 In this episode he discusses his book The First Congress How James Madison George Washington and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government He spoke at a Ford Evening Book Talk at the Washington Library on June 9 2016

Dr. David Hildebrand is a specialist in early American music, teaches American music history at the Peabody Conservatory, and is an author for the Johns Hopkins University Press. He regularly performs at museums, universities, and historical societies in duet with his wife, Ginger. He discusses how he came to study early American music and the political power of song during the Revolutionary period. His CD, "Music for the First President," is available for purchase from the Shops at Mount Vernon at shops.mountvernon.org. Dr. Hildebrand was a member of the 2016-17 class of fellows at the Washington Library.

Dr. Frank Cogliano is Professor of American History and Dean International for North America at the University of Edinburgh and is also a member of the advisory board for the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. His latest book is "Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy." He discusses his role as a Jefferson scholar, Jefferson's reputation as a Founder, and the relationship between Jefferson, Washington, and Hamilton. Dr. Cogliano spoke at the 2016 George Washington Symposium at Mount Vernon.

Dr. Susan Dunn is the Massachusetts Professor of Humanities at Williams College and is the author of numerous history books exploring topics ranging from the French and American Revolutions to World War II. In this episode she discusses her early books on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the importance of the Bill of Rights in the 20th Century, and how public education contributions to the creation of good citizens. Dr. Dunn spoke at the 2016 George Washington Symposium at Mount Vernon on November 4, 2016.

Mr. Richard Brookhiser is an American journalist, biographer, and historian, and is a senior editor at National Review. He has also written numerous books on the Founding period of American history. Mr. Brookhiser was the 2016 Gay Hart Gaines Distinguished Visiting Lecturer of American History at the Washington Library. He discusses his work on the study of George Washington.

The George Washington Leadership Lecture was held on October 3, 2016 and features a conversation with FBI Director James Comey, who will discuss leadership lessons learned throughout his personal pathway to becoming the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as his particular style of leading the nation's premiere federal law enforcement agency. The Lecture is held in partnership with the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and was made possible by a generous gift by Maribeth Borthwick, USC class of '73 and Vice Regent for California of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.