Anita McBride, who served as chief of staff to Mrs. Laura Bush during her time as first lady, and Gahl Hodges Burt, who served as social secretary for President and Mrs. Reagan, recently visited Dallas for an Engage at the Bush Center event presented by Nexpoint.

They joined host Andrew Kaufmann beforehand to discuss the responsibilities of their roles, their memories working in the Reagan and Bush administrations, and the significance and importance of White House events.

Hear more from Anita and Gahl on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America's History-Making Women

Thomas Jefferson made a lasting impact on our country as the third president of the United States and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. He recently visited Texas and joined host Andrew Kaufmann, the Bush Institute’s Jason Galui, and students from Walnut Grove High School to discuss the birth of our nation, the lessons we can learn from our Founding Fathers, and his thoughts on the future of the United States.

Later in the conversation, Kurt Smith, who portrays Jefferson as a nation builder at Colonial Williamsburg, discusses his experiences researching and embodying such an iconic historical figure.

Hear more from President Jefferson and Mr. Smith on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

When Steve Ballmer retired from Microsoft after a long and storied career, he realized that he didn’t know exactly how and where U.S. tax dollars got spent. And it wasn’t as easy to find as he had hoped. So he set out to solve the problem — and founded USA Facts, which consolidates available data and makes it accessible to citizens.

He joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Chris Walsh to discuss why having that data easily accessible is so important to our democracy.

Hear more from Steve about USA Facts, pluralism, and even the Mavericks-Clippers playoff match-up on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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David French is a writer and columnist for The New York Times – informed by a career that began as a litigator, turned to the Army as a JAG officer and then Bronze Star awardee after volunteering to deploy to Iraq as part of the Surge, and finally to journalism. 

He joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Chris Walsh at the 2024 Forum on Leadership to discuss the “exhausted majority” of Americans today who are tired of toxic polarization, the sometimes dangerous reactions he’s received from his writing, and why instilling a sense of purpose in citizens is essential.

Hear more from David on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Former White House Social Secretaries from multiple administrations recently traveled to Dallas for a special Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint event.

Amy Zantzinger, social secretary for President and Mrs. Bush, and Jeremy Bernard, social secretary for President and Mrs. Obama, joined host Andrew Kaufmann beforehand to discuss the responsibilities of their job, their favorite White House events, and the lessons they learned in this important role.

Hear more from Amy and Jeremy on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Chuck Salter is the president and CEO of the News Literacy Project, an organization that’s on a mission to create better informed, more engaged, and more empowered individuals — and ultimately a stronger democracy.

He joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Bill McKenzie to discuss the organization’s work to help students become news literate, what makes him optimistic about the future, and how news consumers can determine fact from opinion as disinformation is on the rise.

Hear more from Chuck on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation and former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, joined Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute David J. Kramer and host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss the collaboration between the Bush Center, the Obama Foundation, and 11 other presidential centers to affirm the principles of democracy.

Hear more about the progress of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, the importance of principled leadership, and how to stay optimistic when the news of the day always seems tough on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Presidential Centers Affirm That 'Democracy Holds Us Together'

Alexandra Hudson is the author of new book The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves. She joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Chris Walsh to discuss the difference between civility and politeness, why civility is a duty of citizenship, and how we can flourish across deep differences.

Hear more from Alexandra on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Governor Spencer Cox currently serves as the 18th governor of Utah and as chair of the National Governor’s Association, where he launched the Disagree Better initiative.

Governor Cox joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the George W. Bush Institute’s Chris Walsh for a conversation about listening, tough discussions, and, yes, disagreeing – and why disagreeing is actually a good thing when done thoughtfully and respectfully.

Hear more from Governor Cox on his time as governor, the importance of civility, and hot sports opinions on the NBA on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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The Art of Disagreeing Better with Governor Cox and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly

Three George W. Bush Institute experts gathered for a thought-provoking discussion on the state of democracy – both here at home and abroad.

Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow and Executive Vice President for Strategy and Programs at Freedom House Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, the Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy Igor Khrestin, and Director of Global Policy Chris Walsh joined host Andrew Kaufmann for an after hours conversation on the rise of authoritarianism and how to instill trust in U.S. democracy.

Hear more from our experts on democracy, foreign affairs, and even a few Christmas movies on this episode of The Strategerist After Hours, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.