The Strategerist

The Strategerist recently hosted Reggie Dickson, a man who dedicated nearly three decades to the United States Air force. For nineteen of those years, he served as a flight attendant entrusted with the care and safety of the nation's highest leaders — supporting two Vice Presidents and three Presidents of the United States.

The next guest on The Strategerist is Chris Meek, co-founder of SoldierStrong, a nonprofit he created in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Chris is also a 2018 Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program scholar, and more recently, a filmmaker. He joined us to discuss what it was like being in New York on 9/11, how he leads SoldierStrong, and his documentary, 'The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11” hopes to transform “never forget” to “we remember.”

The Strategerist welcomed Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary. He was the primary spokesperson for President Bush and delivered the daily White House press briefings from 2001 to 2003. In his almost four years working for President Bush, Ari served as spokesperson during the historic presidential recount, September 11th, two wars, and the anthrax attack. He’s currently a best-selling author, president of his own firm, and Fox News Contributor.

Sara Armstrong has spent nearly 30 years operating at the highest levels of American government and leadership, from the East Wing to the boardroom. She began her career in the George W. Bush Administration, serving as a special assistant to the President and deputy chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and later as director of the White House Visitors Office.

Today, Armstrong is vice president and managing director of Federation Relations and Coalition Partnerships at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Host Andrew Kaufmann sat down with Armstrong last year to discuss what she's learned behind the scenes in building coalitions across politics, business, and government.

The Strategerist recently hosted the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force, JoAnne Bass. In 2020, she made history by becoming the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking enlisted leader in our military. She joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss her career in service and service beyond the uniform.

On this episode of The Strategerist our guest is Rear Admiral John Kirby. He is currently the director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics after a long career in the military and then our government as a spokesperson and communications professional. He served in both the Obama and Biden administrations, as White House National Security Communications advisor, leading Pentagon communications, as well as serving in the Department of Defense and Department of State.

On this episode of The Strategerist, Walter Isaacson, known as one of America’s pre-eminent biographies joins host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss some of the world's greatest innovators: Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Benjamin Franklin. Jennifer Doudna. Albert Einstein. Even Leonardo DaVinci.

His most recent work takes a look not at a person, but at a turning point in history: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, a small but inspiring book that analyzes the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence.

New Strategerist podcast episode featuring father-daughter duo Governor George Pataki and New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki discuss public service, family, and the leadership.

Eboo Patel is recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s best leaders as the founder of Interfaith America. At the Bush Center’s 2026 Forum on Leadership, Eboo has just received the George W. Bush Institute Citation, which reads:

Eboo Patel understands the power of pluralism. Through his leadership and writing, he encourages others to find the dignity in their fellow man regardless of religion or practice. His commitment to mutual respect strengthens our country by demonstrating how profound differences can coexist with shared democratic values.

Bestselling author, Fox News host and former White House press secretary Dana Perino stopped by the Bush Center for a Live recording of The Strategerist to discuss her new novel, Purple State.