Participants include Dr. R Gerald Turner, Jessica Yellin, Martin Baron and Emmanuel Acho
DALLAS, Texas — Today, the George W. Bush Presidential Center announced the theme, The American Promise, for the eighth annual Forum on Leadership event April 23 and 24. The Forum on Leadership is the Bush Center’s landmark gathering, which develops, recognizes, and celebrates leadership by bringing together notable voices for in-depth discussions on today’s pressing issues.
“The American Promise is the embodiment of the American dream: that everyone has the freedom and opportunity to succeed through hard work,” said Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the Bush Center. “This year’s Forum will focus on a path forward for our nation through our commitment to President and Mrs. Bush’s core values of freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion.”
Emmanuel Acho, former NFL player and New York Times bestselling author, will be this year’s featured speaker at the Bush Center’s Community Conversation, supported by SMU, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and NexPoint. Acho will share his insights on how to have difficult conversations, the power of mindset in shaping our future, and strategies for driving personal and collective transformation.
The Forum on Leadership will also include a conversation on the current challenges faced by the Fourth Estate, freedom of the press, and the media’s indispensable role in a thriving democracy. It will feature Martin Baron, former Executive Editor of The Washington Post, Jessica Yellin, Founder of News Not Noise, and Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, the Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow at the Bush Institute.
In addition, current and former university presidents will discuss the role of higher education within American democracy with moderator Robin Berkley, the Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education at the Bush Institute. Panelists include Dr. Ben Sasse, former President of the University of Florida and former U.S. Senator from Nebraska; Dr. R Gerald Turner, President of SMU; and Dr. Melva Wallace, President and CEO of Huston-Tillotson University.
Anne Wicks, the Don Evans Family Managing Director of Opportunity and Democracy at the Bush Institute, will moderate a conversation with Salim Asrawi, Co-Founder and President of Texas de Brazil, and Daniel Lubetzky, Founder of Builders Movement and KIND, on how they have made the most out of the opportunities America affords and given back by strengthening our democracy through generosity and perseverance.
During a private part of the programming, Ken Hersh will have a conversation with President George W. Bush about what it takes to achieve The American Promise, which the president described in his first inaugural address as the idea “that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born.”
The gathering will include the presentation of the George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership to Dr. Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense. Secretary Gates will then join David J. Kramer, Executive Director of the Bush Institute, for a conversation on leadership and challenges facing our country and the world today.
The George W. Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation will be presented to BridgeUSA and accepted on the organization’s behalf by Founder Manu Meel. The Citation recognizes BridgeUSA’s noble mission to empower young people to engage in constructive dialogue and disagreement.
Tom Luce, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Texas 2036, will accept the George W. Bush Trailblazer Citation, which goes to an innovator who has effected change in the North Texas region.
The Forum on Leadership is by invitation only. Portions of the program will be livestreamed so the public can view them. For more information, please visit www.bushcenter.org/forumonleadership.
Members of the media can apply for credentials at www.bushcenter.org/credentials to attend select portions of the program that are open to the press. Additional information regarding credentials confirmation, parking, facility access, interviews, and other details will be sent to media representatives who complete the credentialing process on the Bush Center website. All members of the media – reporters, photographers, videographers, and crew – are required to have and display credentials to cover Forum on Leadership.
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George W. Bush Presidential Center
Located on the SMU campus in Dallas, Texas, the George W. Bush Presidential Center is a nonpartisan institution advancing the timeless values of freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion. The Bush Center comprises the George W. Bush Presidential Museum and the George W. Bush Institute, a solution-oriented policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies through policy solutions and public engagement. The Bush Center also houses the George W. Bush Presidential Library, operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, which provides access to official documents and artifacts from the George W. Bush Administration. Learn more about the Bush Center at bushcenter.org.
