The Strategerist

Vice President Mike Pence surprised guests at the Bush Center and sat down for a special taping of The Strategerist podcast before a live audience. He discussed his views on divisiveness in country, leadership, America’s role as a global leader, and his own new role as a professor.

Rushan Abbas is a leading Uyghur human rights activist whose exercise of free speech in the United States led to the imprisonment of her older sister in China, now for seven years. In response, she left her career to become a full-time activist and founded Campaign for Uyghurs — an organization nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize twice. Through her work, Abbas shines a light on the Uyghur genocide and the repression of the Chinese government.

Monica Paul has been a driving force in making sure the world knows Dallas as a premier sports destination. She led the bid strategies and marketing efforts for nearly 600 events in our region. These events generated $4 billion in economic impact.

Her leadership was key in securing Dallas as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Dallas landed the most games—nine—of any host city. She joined host Andrew Kaufmann and Kevin “Sully” Sullivan, Senior Advisor at the Bush Center and former White House Communications Director. Together, they recorded a special live taping at the Bush Center. They discussed the countdown to the 2026 World Cup, the beginnings of her sports career, and her hopes for the metroplex region.

Salim Asrawi is President and co-founder of Texas de Brazil and appears on the cover of President George W. Bush’s Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants. Born in Lebanon, Salim immigrated to the United States at the age of 14, fleeing war in his country. He worked his way up at a hotel after getting his master’s degree in restaurant hotel management and later, with his family, invested in opening Texas de Brazil, now the largest steakhouse chain in the world.

Salim joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann and U.S. Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander D’Juan Wilcher, Deputy Director of Veterans and Military Families at the Bush Institute, to discuss his journey from immigrant to successful entrepreneur, his dedication to community service and helping others, and his hope for the future.

Shawn VanDiver, founder and President of the Afghan Evac coalition, which works to build coordination and collaboration between civil society groups and U.S. government agencies in support of Afghan relocation and resettlement, joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann and Director of Global Policy, Natalie Gonnella-Platts to discuss the dire situation in country for at-risk Afghans, the expiration of TPS and other immigration challenges, and why all Americans should care about what is happening in Afghanistan today.

Jessica Yellin founded News Not Noise to do what the title implies separate the important news from the noise. Her goal is to “give information. Not a panic attack.” With over 193,000 Substack subscribers and 792,000 followers on Instagram, Jessica has become a trusted voice in a chaotic media environment—breaking down what matters, why it matters, and what you can safely scroll past. She’s part of a new movement of independent journalists that are taking advantage of platforms that allow individuals to build an audience of their own, without having to rely on traditional news networks.

At the Bush Institute’s 2025 Forum on Leadership, she joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann to unpack the evolving media landscape—and how to stay informed without getting overwhelmed.

Michael Giorgione joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann and Lieutenant Commander, USNR D’Juan Wilcher, Deputy Director of Veterans and Military Families at the Bush Institute, to discuss his time at Camp David and how his 29 years of military service helped him there and continues to inspire his teachings today.

As a young officer in the U.S. special forces, Blayne Smith faced the difficult realities of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. And while not everyone will experience war first-hand, the lessons that Blayne learned apply to all of us.

Today, he’s helped build the Bush Institute Veteran Wellness Alliance’s Check-In program that helps veterans get connected to mental health care. He joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann and Jason Galui, Director of Veterans and military Families at the Bush Institute to discuss the lessons he’s shared in his new book, Perseverance > Resilience, as well as why Check-In is such an important program.

Jenny Dyer, founder of the 2030 Collaborative and artist and music producer Charlie Peacock were part of a coalition of experts, artists, and policymakers such as Bono, Senator Bill Frist, and many others that were instrumental in building the awareness around the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and the consensus needed to keep the President’s Emergency for AIDS Relief Plan or PEPFAR, which has saved over 26 millions lives from HIV/AIDS since its inception in 2003 moving forward.

Dr. Dyer and Charlie joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss PEPFAR’s success and how art can truly help change the world.