The George W. Bush Presidential Center is pleased to present the Forum on Leadership, a three-day gathering for internationally-recognized thought leaders for lively panel discussions on timely topics that affect those at home and abroad. Furthermore, we are excited to award the inaugural George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership, as well as citations for those making a difference in the military community and in North Texas.
The Bush Center’s Forum on Leadership brings together leading minds in business, public service, technology, academia, and philanthropy for a two-day celebration of leadership and in-depth discussions on diverse and pressing issues in our world today. Activist, philanthropist and lead singer of the Irish rock-band U2 Bono will receive the inaugural George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership, and American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos will headline the ENGAGE Forum on Leadership Keynote at Moody Coliseum at Southern Methodist University.
Featuring President George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke, and others, topics for discussion will include the effect of improving access to education and skills training for women and girls, how education can revitalize the middle class and the future of global economic integration. We’ll explore the crucial need to develop the leadership impact of veterans, the practical realities of governing in divided times, the obligation and opportunity of democracy, and the next big thing on the horizon on technology. The Forum on Leadership is invitation only, but public tickets to the ENGAGE Forum on Leadership will be available later this year.
HONORING
Bono
Lead Singer, U2 and Co-Founder, ONE and (RED)
2018 George W. Bush Medal for
Distinguished Leadership Recipient
—
Blayne Smith
President of GORUCK
2018 Military Service Citation Recipient
—
Jan Pruitt
North Texas Food Bank (posthumously)
2018 George W. Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation Recipient
Schedule of Events
Day 1: Wednesday, April 18
- Daniel Anello, Chief Executive Officer, New Schools for Chicago, Presidential Leadership Scholars ‘15
Preparing All Kids for an Unpredictable Future – The Promise of Lifelong Learning
- Dr. Priscilla Chan, Co-Founder, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
- Anne Wicks, the Ann Kimball Johnson Director of Education Reform, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)
Nationalism and the Future of Global Markets
Sponsored by CME Group
- Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Chairman, Paulson Institute
- Ben Bernanke, Former Chair of the Federal Reserve; Fellow, The Brookings Institution
- Edward Lazear, Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution and Davies Family Professor of Economics, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
- Terry Duffy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CME Group (Moderator)
Studio 43: A Conversation on Transformations and Foundations
Panel: Going Native: Why Conservation Matters in Our Cities and in Our Own Backyards
- James T. Farmer, Author and Interior Designer, James Farmer, Inc.
- Michael Van Valkenburgh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.
- Klaus Desmet, Ph.D., Altshuler Centennial Interdisciplinary Professor, Department of Economics, SMU (Moderator)
Day 2: Thursday, April 19
Personal Testimony
- Holly Gordon, Chief Impact Officer, Participant Media, Presidential Leadership Scholars ’15
Next Generation Game Changers
- James “Kassaga” Arinaitwe, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Teach for Uganda
- Diana Mao, President and Co-Founder, Nomi Network; Presidential Leadership Scholars ‘15
- Jonathan Swanson, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Thumbtack
- Daniela Terminel, Chief Executive Officer, Global Health Corps
- Barbara Bush, Co-Founder and Board Member, Global Health Corps (Moderator)
Governing in the 21st Century
- Governor John W. Hickenlooper, State of Colorado
- Governor Susana Martinez, State of New Mexico
- Holly Kuzmich, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)
Remarks and Awarding of Military Service Citation
- Matthew Amidon, Director, Military Service Initiative, George W. Bush Institute
- Blayne Smith, President, GORUCK (Recipient)
Veterans and Military Families: Continued Leadership for Our Businesses, Communities, and Nation
- Blayne Smith, President, GORUCK
- General Peter Pace, USMC, (Retired); 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Meg Kabat, National Director, Caregiver Support Program, Department of Veteran Affairs
- M. Lyla Kohistany, President/Co-Founder, PROMOTE and Director of Government Programs, Cultural Intelligence Center
- Miguel Howe, April and Jay Graham Fellow of the Military Service Initiative, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)
Remarks by President George W. Bush
Studio 43: A Conversation on Transformations and Foundations: The Drivers of the Next 50 Years
Panel: 21st Century Medicine
- Eric Olson, Ph.D., Professor, UT Southwestern; Founder, Exonics Therapeutics
- Marc Penn, M.D., Ph.D., FACC, CEO, Black Beret Life Sciences, LLC
- W.E. “Ed” Bosarge, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman, Black Beret Life Sciences, LLC and Co-founder and CEO, Quantlab Financial, LLC
21st Century Technological Revolution
- D. Scott Phoenix, Co-Founder, Vicarious
Conversation with President George W. Bush and Bono
- President George W. Bush
- Bono, Lead Singer of U2; Co-Founder, ONE and (Red)
- Joshua Bolten, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Roundtable (Moderator)
Day 3: Friday, April 20
- Jeff Bezos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Amazon
- Kenneth A. Hersh, President and Chief Executive Officer, George W. Bush Presidential Center (Moderator)
Thank you to our generous Forum on Leadership Underwriters
