The Strategerist

20 years ago, then-Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans watched the terrorist attacks of 9/11 unfold alongside the rest of a shocked Nation. He shares his recollections from that day, and the ensuing the days, of a government mobilized against an active threat -- including his experience as the "designated survivor" in the presidential line of succession. He also reflects on the strength he drew from his faith during that time, while also sharing on what it was like watching his longtime friend, President George W. Bush, lead a grieving Nation.

In 2008, President George W. Bush traveled to Beijing, China to support the athletes representing the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games. Spence Geissinger headed up the operations and logistics planning for that trip. Spence takes us behind the scenes of the extensive planning, negotiating, and improvising that goes into essentially picking up the White House and placing it in a foreign country -- and shares memories from that remarkable trip.  

Related

• Human Freedom Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute

Evan Smith, founder and CEO of the non-profit Texas Tribune, believes strongly that providing information to voters is critical to a healthy democracy. We discuss the constantly evolving media landscape and how the Texas Tribune has adapted as a newsroom and a business.

Related

• The Texas Tribune
• Point of Order podcast with Evan Smith
• Engage at the Bush Center, presented by Highland Capital Management -- Understanding the Border: A Conversation on Life, Culture, and Commerce

Paul Ryan, the 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, takes us behind the scenes of Capitol Hill and into the Speaker's Chair -- discussing leadership lessons, legislative accomplishments and disappointments, and finding common ground.

Related Resources

• American Idea Foundation
• The Catalyst -- State of the American Dream
• 2021 Forum on Leadership

Joseph Kim -- painted by President Bush in Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants -- was born in North Korea, one of the least free places on earth. But unlike so many of his fellow North Koreans, he was able to escape the brutal dictatorship. Joseph shares with us the incredible hardships of life in North Korea, how he was able to escape to the U.S., and how he stays optimistic through it all.

Related

• Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants by President George W. Bush
• Freedom in North Korea program at the George W. Bush Institute
• The Strategerist with Hannah Song, CEO of Liberty in North Korea

Dina Powell McCormick's immigrant journey began when her parents moved their family from Cairo, Egypt, to the United States when Dina was a child, hoping to ensure that their daughter would have opportunities that weren’t possible in their native country.  The sacrifices that came with moving to a new land paid off: Dina's journey took her to the White House, where she was a trusted advisor to President George W. Bush – who painted her for his latest project, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.

Related

• Out of Many, One
• Goldman Sachs sustainability and community engagement
  • 10,000 Small Businesses
  • 10,000 Women
  • 1 Million Black Women

For the past several years, Burma had been transitioning toward a democratically elected, civilian-run government.  That progress came to a sudden halt in February when the military enacted a coup.  Derek Mitchell, President of the National Democratic Institute and former Ambassador to Burma, joins us to talk about this inflection point in Burma’s history.

Related

• National Democratic Institute
• Bush Institute Liberty and Leadership program
• Ambassador Derek Mitchell on Twitter

Children’s brook author Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City but grew up in the United States. Her childhood was in many ways shaped by that blending of cultures.  In Stella Diaz Has Something to Say, she created a story that shares the immigrant experience in a way that children can relate to.

• Shop the Stella Diaz series
• Follow Angela Dominguez on Twitter
• Learn more about the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries
• See Mrs. Bush's 2020 reading list for kids

The history of our nation is often reflected in the history baseball.  In the 1920s, racism and segregation meant that elite black and Latin athletes couldn’t play Major League Baseball — despite their unquestionable skill and talent.  Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, explains that even though that ugly chapter of American history forced the formation of the league, the story is ultimately one of triumph. And the lessons we can learn from those baseball players  are very much applicable today.

Related

• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
• Bob Kendrick on Twitter
• From the Bush Institute: Why Baseball Matters -- Still 

Doctors Sunny Jha, Loren Robinson, and Jay Bhatt are on the front lines in their communities in the fight against COVID-19 -- but thanks to vaccines that are now available, see a light at the end of the tunnel. They've witnessed first hand the pain caused by COVID-19, the progress we’ve made in a short amount of time, and the fear in patients as vaccine distribution ramps up.  But, the science is clear: the vaccines are safe, and #ThisIsOurShot to bring the pandemic under control.

Related

• Learn more about #ThisIsOurShot
• Learn more about the Presidential Leadership Scholars program