April 18 – 20, 2018
Dallas, Texas


















The Bush Center’s Forum on Leadership is a landmark annual gathering to develop, recognize, and celebrate leadership.
Leading Voices and In-Depth Discussions on Today’s Pressing Issues
The Bush Center’s Forum on Leadership, hosted by President and Mrs. George W. Bush, will bring together internationally-recognized thought leaders from across all sectors to examine solutions to today’s most pressing issues. The three-day event will explore the crucial need for leadership in our society, particularly as our Nation faces critical foreign and domestic challenges, and will recognize individuals for outstanding leadership in their fields and communities.
Learn more about underwriting the Forum on Leadership
Your support will help the Bush Center continue developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges.
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Honoring Leadership

George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership
Bono, lead singer of U2 and cofounder of ONE and (RED)
The George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership will be awarded annually to an individual who has impacted the global community, has inspired others to action, and who has demonstrated a commitment to improving others’ lives.
Bono will receive the inaugural medal for his humanitarian contributions in the area of poverty and preventable disease, particularly among the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Trailblazer Citation
Jan Pruitt (posthumously), Former President and Chief Executive Officer, North Texas Food Bank
Jan began her work by organizing a canned donations closet at a local Methodist Church and went on to inspire a movement to end hunger in North Texas and the United States through the North Texas Food Bank.

Military Service Citation
Blayne Smith, President, GORUCK
Blayne chose servant leadership at each stage of his career, through serving his country alongside fellow soldiers, developing up-and-coming leaders in a corporate setting, and serving veterans through both for-profit and non-profit organizations.
Scheduled Sessions
The Forum on Leadership will feature in-depth discussions on leadership while navigating geopolitical challenges like governing in a complex world, education, economic growth, veterans’ transition, and the coming challenges of technological disruptions.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Exclusive Kick Off Luncheon
Welcome
Laura Bush
Women’s Initiative
Empowering and Advancing Women to Leadership Roles
Barbara Barrett, Former U.S. Ambassador to Finland
Dina Powell, Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy; Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School
Opening Plenary Sessions
Personal Testimony
Daniel Anello, Chief Executive Officer, New Schools for Chicago; George W. Bush Institute Presidential Leadership Scholars ‘15
Preparing All Kids for an Unpredictable Future – The Promise of Lifelong Learning
Dr. Priscilla Chan, Co-Founder of The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Nationalism and the Future of Global Markets
Ben Bernanke, Former Chair of the Federal Reserve; Fellow at the Brookings Institute
Edward Lazear, Professor, Economics, Stanford University
Henry M. Paulson, Jr., Chairman, Paulson Institute
Moderator: Terry Duffy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CME Group
Studio 43: Transformation and Foundations
In our Transformations and Foundations series, the Bush Center explores developments that will help reshape the coming decades as well as other topics that reinforce those elements that are essential to our common experience as Americans. At the Forum, our conversations will focus upon major developments that are transforming the way we will live in the coming decades.
New Perspectives for Changing Times (Concurrent)
Is Universal Basic Income the Answer to Income Inequality?
Robert Doar, Morgridge Resident Fellow in Poverty Studies, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Taylor Jo Isenberg, Managing Director, The Economic Security Project
Going Native: Why Conservation Matters in Our Cities and in Our Own Backyards
Laura Bush
James T. Farmer, Author and Interior Designer, James Farmer, Inc.
Michael Van Valkenburgh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.
Moderator: Klaus Desmet, Ph.D. Altshuler Centennial Interdisciplinary Professor, Department of Economics, SMU
Reception and Dinner
Personal Testimony
Aung Kyaw Moe, Executive Director Center for Social Integrity; George W. Bush Institute Liberty and Leadership Forum ‘17
Human Freedom
The Opportunities and Obligations of Freedom
Condoleezza Rice, 66th U.S. Secretary of State
Moderator: Arthur C. Brooks, President, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Exclusive Breakfast
A Conversation with Dick Cheney and John Boehner
John Boehner, 53rd Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dick Cheney, 46th Vice President of the United States
Plenary Sessions
Personal Testimony
Holly Gordon, Chief Impact Officer, PARTICPANT MEDIA; George W. Bush Institute Presidential Leadership Scholars ‘15
Next Generation Game Changers
James “Kassaga” Arinaitwe, Chief Executive Officer, Teach for Uganda
Diana Mao, President and Co-Founder, Nomi Network; George W. Bush Institute, Presidential Leadership Scholars ‘15
Jonathan Swanson, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Thumbtack
Daniela Terminel, Chief Executive Officer, Global Health Corps
Moderator: Barbara Bush, Co-Founder and Board Chair, Global Health Corps
Governing in the 21st Century
Governor John W. Hickenlooper, State of Colorado
Governor Susana Martinez, State of New Mexico
Luncheon and Award of George W. Bush Institute Military Service Citation
Welcome
Donald L. Evans, Chairman of the Board of Directors, George W. Bush Foundation
Remarks
Doug Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, American Airlines
Remarks
President George W. Bush
Veterans and Military Families: Continued Leadership for our Businesses, Communities, and Nation
Meg Kabat, National Director, Caregiver Support Program, Department of Veteran Affairs
M. Lyla Kohistany, President/Co-Founder, PROMOTE; Director of Government Programs, Cultural Intelligence Center
General Peter Pace, USMC (Retired); 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Blayne Smith, President, GORUCK
George W. Bush Institute Military Service Citation Recipient
Blayne Smith, President, GORUCK
Studio 43: Transformations and Foundations: The Drivers of the Next 50 Years
21st Century Medicine: Regenerative Medicine
W.E. “Ed” Bosarge, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman, Black Beret Life Sciences, LLC; Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman Emeritus, Quantlab Financial, LLC
Marc Penn, M.D., Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer, Black Beret Life Sciences, LLC
21st Century Medicine: Unlocking the Power of Genetics
Eric Olson, Ph.D., Professor, UT Southwestern; Founder, Exonics Therapeutics
21st Century Technological Revolution: Artificial Intelligence: Faster, Better, Stronger?
D. Scott Phoenix, Co-Founder, Vicarious
Black Tie Gala
George W. Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation Recipient
Jan Pruitt (Posthumously), Former President and Chief Executive Officer, North Texas Food Bank
George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership Recipient
Bono, Lead Singer of U2; Co-Founder, ONE and (RED)
A Conversation with President George W. Bush and Bono
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States
Bono, Lead Singer of U2; Co-Founder, ONE and (RED)
Joshua Bolten, President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Roundtable
Friday, April 20, 2018
Closing Conversation co-presented with SMU at Moody Coliseum
Jeff Bezos, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Amazon
Hotel Information
Planning on attending the Forum on Leadership? These hotels are located near the George W. Bush Presidential Center. All room rates subject to availability.
The Highland Dallas
5300 E. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 75206
214.520.7969
TheHighlandDallas.com
Special Instructions: Please use the George W. Bush Presidential Center corporate code 3016381 when booking online.
$179 per night
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
2821 Turtle Creek Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75219
214.559.2100
RosewoodHotels.com
Special Instructions: Direct line for Reservations: 800.527.5432
George W. Bush Presidential Center Preferred Room Rates: $250-300 per night
The Ritz-Carlton – Dallas
2121 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201
214.922.0200
RitzCarlton.com
Special Instructions: Please contact the Hotel’s Executive Reservations Service, (214) 922-4716 or [email protected] for the George W. Bush Presidential Center Room Rate: $329-$399 per night