Last month marked 10 years since representatives from the LBJ Foundation, The George and Barbara Bush Foundation, The Clinton Foundation, and the George W. Bush Presidential Center gathered at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., to announce the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.

We couldn’t have imagined the magic of this program in 2014 and the impact its Scholars would have on our communities and world. You have connected the homeless with their families; promoted public-private partnerships to support conservation efforts on tribal lands; stemmed the epidemic of youth opioid overdoses; improved the lives of refugees and immigrants through mentorship, resettlement, and community-based programming; and the list goes on.

Your leadership and this community are needed now more than ever, and we know you will be the changemakers who keep our country moving forward. We’re excited to celebrate a decade of PLS over the next year as we welcome the 10th cohort of exceptional Scholars into this unique network.

Lastly, as many of you know, Lindsay Davis has taken a new position at SMU. We will miss her bright countenance and fun personality. We wish her all the best in her new endeavors. We are excited that Casey Rodriguez will manage alumni relations and can help with anything you may need moving forward. Please contact her with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued commitment to this program and its growing network. We hope to see you at an alumni gathering or on a webinar very soon!

Sincerely,

Mike Hemphill, Ph.D
Director, Presidential Leadership Scholars
Clinton Foundation

Kelley Jiou
Director, Presidential Leadership Scholars
George W. Bush Institute

Thank you for purchasing Presidential Leadership Scholars merchandise through the Bush Museum Store! The orders are in production and have started to ship out.

Workplace + LinkedIn

Make sure your Workplace account is up to date, as this is the main way we will share information with you about upcoming events. It’s also a great place to follow along with the work of your colleagues, join interest groups, and collaborate with one another.

We have created a Presidential Leadership Scholars alumni group on LinkedIn to complement Workplace. Please take a moment to join if you haven’t already – and be sure to tag us whenever posting about PLS!

Upcoming webinars

• Oct. 6, 4 p.m. CT: Book Club
  Mark your calendars for a group discussion hosted by Adeeti Gupta on The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA, by Lisa Mundy. RSVP on Workplace.

• Dec. 12, 4 p.m. CT: Addressing Homelessness through Innovative Health Care Solutions, Direct Cash, and Community
  Kevin Adler (2019) and Joli Robinson (2023) will lead a conversation on their collaborative work, focused on the intersection of homelessness, city government, and public health. We hope you will join them to learn more about this space and see another example of PLS alumni collaboration in action! RSVP on Workplace.

Alumni gatherings

We’re excited to share the alumni gatherings scheduled at this time! More details will be available on Workplace as they are finalized.

• Miami, Florida: October/November (details to come)
• Washington, D.C.: Tuesday, Oct. 22
• Alumni will gather on the rooftop of 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue. Event details are on Workplace, and an email was sent to the D.C.-area email list.
• Atlanta, Georgia: October/November (details to come)
• Monterey, California: Thursday, Nov. 21 and Friday, Nov. 22
• Alumni will gather at Montage Health’s Ohana Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health (6 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Monterey, CA 93940). Details will be posted to Workplace and sent to all alumni in the coming days.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: December (details to come)
• New Orleans, Louisiana: April 2025 (details to come)

Supporting PLS

The Presidential Leadership Scholars program is long-lasting and impactful – and our goal is to continue that! We aim to run a fiscally sound program that is of no cost to its participants. As we celebrate 10 years of the program, we know that you, as alumni, want to be helpful to ensure the program is sustainable for years to come. Though the program has a specific approach to fundraising, we welcome your ideas and support. Please reach out to Kelley Jiou or visit the PLS website if you or someone in your network wants to be involved.

Update your contact information

Please send any email and mailing address updates to Casey Rodriguez, so we can continue to keep in touch and update you on the latest from PLS.

• Libby Schroeder (2024) began a new role as Chief Medical Officer at Froedtert Hospital.

• Emily Baker’s (2018) company, Portman Square Group, was recognized on the BoiseDev’s Inaugural Peak 43 list for being one of Idaho’s fastest growing businesses.

• Jin-Ya Haung (2020) was featured in the Times Square “Billboard for Good” campaign by Every Monday Matters.

• Carolina Veira (2024) was appointed as Board Director for Association of Fundraising Professionals-Fort Lauderdale Broward Chapter.

• Sean Fellows (2015) took a new job as Deputy Director of Intelligence at Air Education and Training Command.

• Bianca Davis (2023) was named a Dallas Business Journal 2024 Women in Business honoree.

• Lisa Hallett (2018) and her wear blue: run to remember team completed a 150K (93 miles) journey on the Wonderland Trail to raise money for Gold Star Families.

• Sloane Davidson (2020) was named a Community Hero at the Power of Red: A Celebration of Heroes by the American Red Cross Pittsburgh.

• Christopher F. Palombo (2018) began serving as President and CEO of MAP International.

• Tamika Perry (2024) received the Leadership Excellence Award at D CEO’s 2024 Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards.

• Neil Vora (2023) co-authored an article in ACP Journals about pursuing a nontraditional career in medicine and in The Lancet about nature-based solutions that are essential for climate and health action.

• Michael Hole (2019) was appointed Senior Advisor for Rural America at the White House.

• Liany Arroyo (2022) was selected for Yale's Executive MBA program.

• Meghan Ogilvie’s (2017) organization, Dog Tag, received the NVC Business Veteran Service Organization of the Year Award and was featured on CBS marking 10 years of the veteran entrepreneurship program.

• Jay Bhatt (2016) was selected for Leadership Greater Chicago.

• Byron Sanders (2017) released a new book, Built for More: The Role of OST in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work. Chike Aguh, (2017) wrote the forward.

• Alicia Vermaele (2024) recently moved into a new role at Starbucks Corporation as Vice President, Global Coffee Engagement.

Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlights

Read the most recent Scholar interviews with Neil Vora (2023), physician, epidemiologist, Pandemic Prevention Fellow at Conservation International; Rani Elwy (2024), professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University; Amy Kroll (2020) Founder and Executive Director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Women's Campaign School at the University of Texas at Austin; and Randell Trammell (2023), Georgia Commissioner on Civic Education and CEO of Georgia Center for Civic Engagement.

David J. Kramer, Executive Director of the Bush Institute, inspires us to protect the rights of all who call this nation home, writing that "It’s important to remember that whoever we are, wherever we come from, whatever the color of our skin, whomever we love, and whatever we believe, we are all human beings with innate dignity, deserving of kindness and grace, with the right to live in peace and liberty, and the need to resolve our differences civilly and respectfully."

Five podcasts on The Strategerist about democracy and pluralism to listen to today

Listen as five inspiring leaders discuss the importance of pluralism, civility, and the state of our democracy on the Bush Center's podcast, The Strategerist.

Escapees develop leadership skills at the Bush Institute’s North Korean Human Rights Workshop

In early September, the Bush Institute welcomed 12 North Korean refugees to Dallas to participate in the organization’s third annual North Korean Human Rights Workshop, where they developed their leadership and advocacy skills. Read how the Bush Institute continues its work to support freedom in North Korea and shed light on the oppression of the North Korean people.

Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint

We’re excited to provide a unique opportunity and program with Sharon McMahon as she headlines The Small and the Mighty Book Tour on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. CT. Bush Center President and CEO Ken Hersh will join McMahon for what is sure to be an informative and entertaining conversation on freedom and democracy.

The Bush Center is also pleased to host Purpose Beyond the White House: A Conversation on the Post-Presidency on Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. CT. Jared Cohen, author of Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House, and Jeffrey A. Engel, author and founding David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at SMU, will headline a conversation on the post-presidency that will be filled with both insights from history and memorable stories.

If interested in attending these events, purchase tickets or tune into the livestream.

The CGI 2024 Annual Meeting featured the launch of 175 new Commitments to Action by the CGI community, as well as programming focused on climate resilience, global health equity, the protection of journalists, humanitarian crises, and other pressing global challenges. Catch up on sessions and meeting highlights via our digital all-access site.

Plan to attend the Clinton Presidential Center’s 20th Anniversary Celebration

Save the date and plan to join President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton to celebrate and reconnect at the Clinton Center’s family friendly 20th anniversary weekend, Dec. 6-8. An invitation and additional details will be sent via email.

Programs at the Clinton Presidential Center

Visit the Clinton Presidential Center’s events calendar to see all of the engaging programs that are coming up.

• The Clinton Center recently hosted The West Wing actors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack for a conversation about their book, WHAT’S NEXT: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service.

• Stephanie Streett moderated a conversation with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who discussed her book True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.

• Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto and Luis A. Miranda Jr. discussed his new book Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America.

• And just days before the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting, the Clinton Center hosted What’s Working: The Convening Power of Clinton Global Initiative, which explored how CGI reimagined philanthropy nearly 20 years ago and continues taking action on the world’s most pressing challenges today.

The Clinton Administration’s lasting impact on public safety

President Clinton and the Clinton Center reflected in September on the lasting legacy of two major accomplishments: the Assault Weapons Ban and the Violence Against Women Act, both of which were enacted 30 years ago.