Powerful avenues of dialogue and discovery are opened as we all reflect what is best about America. At the George W. Bush Presidential Center, this is our core belief. We are dedicated to bringing people, ideas, and initiatives together to produce global impact.
Our resources and facilities encourage people to gather and take action. Our unique, nonpartisan events and programs unite people across the aisle to solve universal challenges. And our experience verifies that real change comes about through collaboration. Working in concert, we can truly shape a better future.
Together.I am both honored and humbled to lead the outstanding team of devoted professionals here at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on the beautiful Southern Methodist University (SMU) campus. The team's dedication and talent have been energizing as we focus on issues central to the conversations of the day.
Inspired by the vision and values of President and Mrs. Bush, we execute our mission through our three Impact Centers: Domestic Excellence, Global Leadership, and our Engagement Agenda. The first two comprise the important work of the Bush Institute, while the third encompasses the entirety of our great institution.
A great nation should have strong economic growth, outstanding education, support and honor for its veterans, and robust development of future leaders. I am proud of the depth of our work, which last year included free trade and immigration, school leadership and accountability, and helping our post-9/11 veterans and their families make a successful transition to civilian life, including addressing the issues of employment and invisible wounds.
The United States should not wither from its responsibility of being the global leader. Not only does our leadership abroad improve the lives of millions of people worldwide, but it is also in our strategic and security interests here at home. In that spirit, we have been active in the fight against cervical and breast cancer in Africa, a voice for the oppressed in North Korea, and a force for the empowerment of women in emerging economies.
A key component of our mission is to engage communities in the U.S. and around the world. In 2016 we hosted more than 200,000 visitors at our wonderful Library and Museum and Native Texas Park. We continued to welcome sold-out audiences at topical and entertaining Engage events, and our expert staff was highly visible, speaking at notable events across the country. Finally, we launched a collection of timely and insightful Bush Center digital publications, including The Catalyst, the Bush Center Briefing, and the weekly Five for Friday.
In addition to these major highlights, I have traveled the country over the last 12 months, meeting supporters of President and Mrs. Bush, our many financial and program sponsors, and the wonderful Bush-Cheney Alumni. The reception has been amazing.
Finally, a note of thanks. The team here is second to none. Since I arrived, we have engaged in a long-range strategic planning and budgeting process, revamped our communications strategy, and designed a capital campaign, all while executing on the best programming around. The Bush Center team exemplifies what it means to work for a service organization committed to the greater good.
For that, I am thankful. I am grateful for the support of Holly Kuzmich, our Executive Director of the Bush Institute. She has been an incredible partner this past year, and her dedication to our mission is a key element of our continued success. We continue to benefit from a wonderful partnership with SMU.
It has been an honor to take on this role and build upon the work of my predecessors. President Bush's principled leadership is a guide for us as we strive to honor the example he has set.
I look forward to further establishing the Bush Center as a global thought leader as we engage the world to develop leaders, advance policy, and take action to address today's most pressing challenges.
Thank you so much for your continued support and engagement.
All the best,
Kenneth Hersh
When President Bush first saw Israel “DT” Del Toro at Walter Reed in 2005, he was in a coma, an IED blast having left him with burns covering more than 80 percent of his body. Doctors said there was a one-in-five chance he would survive, and no chance he would ever walk or breathe on his own. But DT had other plans. When he woke up from his coma, he vowed to recover and live a full and productive life.
After more than a hundred surgeries, DT didn’t just recover—he reenlisted, becoming the first Air Force technician to do so after a 100 percent medical discharge. He also found success and acclaim as the first world-class parathlete in the Air Force and the top American athlete in his class in three sports at the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sporting event founded by Prince Harry for wounded service members and veterans.
That’s where President Bush and DT crossed paths again.
During the 2016 Invictus Games, the Bush Institute hosted the first Invictus Games Symposium on Invisible Wounds. Attended by more than 200 veterans, thought leaders, and influencers, the event served to kick off the Bush Institute’s focus on the invisible wounds of war, such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, and saw the release of original survey results regarding the relationship between returning warriors and the public in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom. Attendees witnessed a discussion between President Bush, Prince Harry, and DT about the role of sports in recovery, and medical and policy experts followed with talks about the challenges of rehabilitation and reintegration for wounded service members.
Helping servicemen and women succeed takes warriors, caregivers, influencers, and the public coming together as a unified force for good.
Grace Jo grew up under North Korea's communist dictatorship. “We had no food, no freedom, and no opportunities,” she said. “I endured threats to my life all the time. I lost my father, grandmother, and two younger brothers to hunger. I almost died of starvation.”
Today, Grace lives near Washington, D.C. and attends classes at Montgomery College while running a nonprofit she founded with her sister to support other North Korean refugees. “We try to let people around the world know about the tyranny and suffering that goes on there,” she said.
The Bush Institute’s Human Freedom Initiative is focused on standing with Grace and human rights advocates like her. In a groundbreaking, nonpartisan effort in the United States to improve the human condition in North Korea, the Bush Institute is leading a coalition of government, industry, NGO, academic, and entertainment sectors. And at a North Korea policy forum at the Bush Center in November, Mrs. Bush announced the creation of a scholarship for North Korean refugees rebuilding their lives in the United States. Ending one of the worst human tragedies of our time is a cause all members of a free society can support.
Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, spent an evening at the Bush Center to kick off the 2016 Engage public programming series and the debut of the Path to the Presidency exhibit. In his on-stage conversation with Willie Geist of NBC News, Michaels explored the history of Saturday Night Live political impersonations, offering an insightful and sharp-witted look at the relationship between the show, politics, and presidential candidates.
“There’s always been political comedy,” said Michaels. “For me, it’s one of the great strengths of the country – that we make fun of our leaders, we make fun of religion, we make fun of all those things. [It’s] a safety valve, the thing that allows us to be a country with some level of confidence.”
The Engage public programming series invites authors, thought leaders, and innovators to the Bush Center to interact with visitors through stimulating lectures and discussions. As a forum for diving into issues and policy areas that matter, the series brings diverse perspectives together under one roof and satisfies a public interest in open dialogue. And the audience for such events keeps growing, with more than 3,200 attendees and all programs sold out in 2016.
Young Leaders in the Liberty and Leadership Forum recognized growth in their leadership ability over the course of the program.
Two young leaders ran for Parliament in Burma, one of whom was elected.
All three cohorts have indicated an increase in the diversity of their networks since participating in the program.
Since opening its doors in 2013, the Bush Center has focused on initiatives that perpetuate the core vision and values of President and Mrs. Bush.
While successfully managing its expenses, the Bush Center continues to receive tremendous support from individual, corporate, and foundation donors and entered 2017 in a healthy financial condition.
In 2016, the Bush Center allocated more than 84 percent of its total expenses in support of these initiatives and our engagement agenda, maintaining a sustainable business model.
