Dan Bartlett is the executive vice president of corporate affairs at Walmart and longtime key advisor to President George W. Bush. He joined former White House colleague and current Bush Center senior advisor Kevin Sullivan, and host Andrew Kaufmann, to share advice for up-and-coming leaders and their lessons from D.C. Hear from Dan about his career progression from Austin to the White House to one of the biggest corporations in the world on this episode of The Strategerist , presented by the Ge...
Jul 25, 2023•37 min•Season 5Ep. 30
Meghan Ogilvie is the CEO of Dog Tag Inc., a non-profit with the goal of empowering veterans with service-connected disabilities, military spouses, and caregivers to find renewed purpose and community through an unexpected combination: a bakery and a classroom. Meghan joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute's Eva Chiang at the 2022 Forum on Leadership to discuss Dog Tag Bakery's mission and her experience as a Presidential Leadership Scholar. Hear from Meghan about her growth as a lea...
Jul 12, 2023•27 min•Season 5Ep. 29
Manu Meel is the CEO of BridgeUSA, a nonprofit organization that creates spaces on high school and college campuses where students can have open discussions about political issues. He joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Chris Walsh in April to discuss BridgeUSA’s mission, how to disagree, and the importance of diversity of thought and opinion. Listen as Manu discusses how to build bridges with people of differing viewpoints and provides a sneak peek of his podcast The Hopeful Ma...
Jun 30, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 28
Dave Copps is the CEO and co-founder of Dallas-based technology company Worlds, where they’ve created an artificial intelligence platform for building the industrial metaverse. He joined the George W. Bush Institute in April at the Forum on Leadership, where he participated in a conversation on the co-evolution of humans and machines. He joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Cullum Clark to discuss Worlds, how technology is changing education, and the future of AI. Hear more from ...
Jun 23, 2023•45 min•Season 5Ep. 27
Ambassador Shin-wha Lee serves as South Korea’s ambassador for international cooperation on North Korean human rights. In her role, she coordinates international efforts to improve human rights conditions in North Korea and raise global awareness about the inhumane conditions faced by North Koreans. She joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Dr. Victor Cha to discuss how denuclearization and human rights are connected and what she predicts for the future relationship between North ...
Jun 21, 2023•43 min•Season 5Ep. 26
Emily Hanford is a senior correspondent and producer for American Public Media and the 2023 George W. Bush Institute Citation recipient for her coverage of our Nation’s reading crisis. She joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Justine Taylor-Raymond at the Forum on Leadership to discuss her reporting, how she started in journalism, and what she’s uncovered about how kids learn to read. Hear more from Emily on the science of reading, why kids receiving quality reading instruction i...
Jun 16, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 25
Scott Carpenter is the managing director of Jigsaw, a unit within Google that explores threats to open societies, and builds technology that inspires scalable solutions to these threats. He discusses how authoritarian regimes use the internet to their advantage, promising new developments in technology, and why internet access is essential to freedom and democracy. Scott joined the George W. Bush Institute in November of 2022 for The Struggle for Freedom conference, where leaders, activists, and...
Jun 09, 2023•30 min•Season 5Ep. 24
Secretary Elaine Chao immigrated to the U.S. when she was just eight years old without knowing any English -- and with hard work and determination, went on to lead a distinguished career in public service. As Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, she was the first woman of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage to ever serve in a presidential cabinet. She also served as Secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump and as Director of the Peace Corps under President ...
Jun 09, 2023•36 min•Season 5Ep. 23
Florencia Velasco Fortner is the CEO of Dallas-based nonprofit The Concilio, an organization that helps North Texas families striving to create strong futures for themselves and future generations. Florencia is the 2023 recipient of the George W. Bush Institute Trailblazer Citation Award, an honor given annually to an innovator who has inspired changed and enriched the quality of life in North Texas. Related The Concilio 2023 Forum on Leadership...
Jun 02, 2023•33 min•Season 5Ep. 22
In 1962, Mary Badham made her big-screen debut in the classic film To Kill a Mockingbird as the beloved Scout Finch, opposite Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. Today, she has returned to Harper Lee's iconic story in the touring Broadway production by playing Mrs. Dubose -- the racist neighbor who represents the antithesis of Scout’s innocence and acceptance. And she believes that To Kill a Mockingbird is as important today as it was in 1962. Related See Mary Badham at the Broadway Dallas production...
May 19, 2023•23 min•Season 5Ep. 21
Although Masih Alinejad was exiled from Iran in 2009, she continues to fight for the people of her country — and was named one of Time Magazine’s 2023 Women of the Year. And even though she has to use her voice from afar, she has amassed 9 million social media followers that hear her message of equality and freedom for the women of Iran — and the world. Related Masih Alinejad on Instagram Women's Advancement at the George W. Bush Institute The Wind in My Hair: My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran...
May 12, 2023•37 min•Season 5Ep. 20
As a legislator, Senator Portman believed in working across the aisle — and believes Americans want just that. He offers advice to young people who are frustrated by politics today, talks about the new Portman Center for Policy Solutions in his home city, offers his thoughts on the war in Ukraine and on policy with China, and tells us about his historic — and supposedly haunted -- Ohio hotel, which, incidentally, serves fantastic fried chicken. Related 2023 Forum on Leadership...
Apr 28, 2023•33 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, has never shied away from raising his hand and taking on new opportunities. From launching his career by picking up the phone and calling directory assistance so he could get in the door with a noted investor, to becoming the CEO of the Bush Center, Ken has never been afraid to take a leap. Related 2023 Bush Center Forum on Leadership The Fastest Tortoise at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum Store...
Apr 21, 2023•36 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Sharon McMahon -- @SharonSaysSo -- is a teacher to her core. From podcasts to Instagram feeds, she's dedicated to bringing more fact-based content into the American experiment. In this episode, Sharon explains her origin story and shares how she approaches the art of teaching -- and how everyone has a role to play in our democracy. Related Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint, featuring Sharon McMahon, David Rubenstein, and Bush Center CEO Ken Hersh And Here's Where It Gets Interesti...
Apr 14, 2023•37 min•Season 5Ep. 17
Fran Townsend was a pubic servant for decades, from the courtroom, to the Justice Department, and eventually to the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. In 2004, she was appointed Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor, where she briefed President Bush on a daily basis. She discusses those briefings — but also reflects on how her family has gotten to live the American dream. She also shares her insights on national security issues past and present, from terrorism to TikTok — and s...
Mar 31, 2023•33 min•Season 5Ep. 16
When David McCormick ran for Senator of Pennsylvania last year, he brought with him the lessons he had learned as an Army Ranger, as a private sector CEO, and on the international policy stage in the Bush Administration -- and shares those lessons with us. David also reminds us that we have to have be able to have fervent debate and disagreement as a Nation, while remembering that whoever sits on the other side isn’t our enemy, but simply someone with different ideas from us. We bounce around po...
Mar 17, 2023•41 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Stephen J. Hadley, assistant to the president for National Security Affairs, joins White House communications director Kevin Sullivan in taking us behind the scenes of the Bush/Obama presidential transition and inside presidential briefings. Hadley discusses the compiled the declassified foreign policy memos in Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama. Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint: St...
Mar 10, 2023•21 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Executive Director of the Bush Institute David J. Kramer is one of the world’s foremost experts on the region. We catch up with him to get his take on the largest war in Europe since World War II, on Vladimir Putin, and why it’s so important for the United States to continue to support the Ukrainian people. Related Bush Institute Policy Recommendation -- Supporting Ukraine: Why It Is Vital to U.S. National Security Interest All Bush Institute 2023 Policy Briefs...
Feb 17, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 13
While the children of the survivors of the Holocaust might not have experienced it in the same was as their parents, they’re uniquely able to see a world that is simultaneously capable of unspeakable evil yet also kindness and respect. Hadassah Lieberman was born in Prague, the daughter of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the U.S. when she was a young girl. She shares the perspectives she’s learned through her life as a successful businessswoman, the wife of a U.S. Senator, and immigrant. M...
Jan 27, 2023•41 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Ukrainian musical artist Ruslana came to prominence in 2004 as an active voice supporting democracy during the Orange Revolution. Today, she is once again using her voice and artistic soul as she fights in every way she can for her country that has been brutally attacked by Russia. An attack that has upended the lives of millions of Ukrainians — and left many wondering if their friends and family are alive. Ruslana wrote the song used in the introduction for the people of Ukraine. It is titled “...
Dec 23, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 11
In the years after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, women made tremendous gains in the country. In particular, they were able to be educated and become leaders in fields like engineering, as Somaya Faruqi and Roya Mahboob did. The Afghan Girls Robotics Team, founded by Roya and captained by Somaya, even stepped up during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to make low-cost ventilators out of car parts to help fill a desperate need in their country. Roya and Somaya were able to escape Afgh...
Dec 10, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 10
PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has been credited with saving millions of lives in Africa. But as the new head of PEPFAR, Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong, explains, the impact of PEPFAR extends even further beyond those who received lifesaving treatment. Related The Bush Institute's Oral History of PEPFAR PEPFAR at the U.S. State Department...
Oct 07, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Education is the foundation of the American dream and the pathway to economic mobility. And higher education is the culmination of that dream. For many families, that dream comes at enormous cost and sacrifice. We go behind-the-scenes of a Bush Institute policy discussion as four of our experts tackle college affordability, public policy, and the topic that's the subject of water-cooler talk everywhere: college debt forgiveness. Featuring: Holly Kuzmich, Executive Director of the Bush Institute ...
Sep 21, 2022•57 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Creating a culture of trust is critical at any company, especially one focused on innovation. Alex Gorsky, April and Jay Graham Fellow at the Bush Institute and Johnson & Johnson Executive Chairman, discusses how J&J's COVID vaccine came to be, why asking for forgiveness not permission is critical to innovation, and how his parents shaped him into the leader he is today.
Jul 27, 2022•35 min•Season 5Ep. 7
America is a diverse country. Diverse in many senses of the word -- from race, to regionality, to religion, to political views, and all points in between. Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at AEI, explains that from the inception of our government to today, this diversity has been both the fundamental challenge to solve as well as its fundamental strength. Related Freedom and Democracy at the Bush Institute...
Jun 14, 2022•34 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Gary Cohn, the 11th Director of the National Economic Council, former president and chief operating officer at Goldman Sachs, and current Vice-Chairman at IBM, struggled as a student because of dyslexia. But he tells us how the challenges he faced helped him learn about risk -- and how to not fear failure. Related 2022 Forum on Leadership Bush Institute's work in economic growth...
May 13, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 5
In 2019, as Dr. Deborah Birx was preparing PEPFAR budgets, she was looking at rich county-by-county infectious disease data in sub-Saharan Africa when word began circulating of a novel virus that could threaten the globe. A few months later, as she moved into her role as White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, she was able to take the lessons she learned from years of experience in global health and brought them to the U.S. pandemic response. Related Oral History of PEPFAR Global Health at...
May 06, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In America, your zip code can be a predictor of life expectancy. Gyasi Chisley, a 25-year health care executive, discusses health and equity-- and how we can work together to build better care in underserved zip codes. The Continual Struggle: Reflections on the Civil Rights Movement -- Engage at the Bush Center, presented by NexPoint Blueprint for Opportunity at the Bush Institute...
Apr 01, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 3
As Americans, we're passionate about our country and its policies. We all want this to be the best place to live. And we might feel strongly that our solution or idea is the best one, leading to frustration when others don't see things the same way. Bill Haslam, the Sammons Enterprises Fellow at the George W. Bush Institute, often had to make difficult decisions and tackle complex problems as Governor of Tennessee -- and reminds us that "sometimes, the other fella might be right." Related Bush I...
Feb 18, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 2
As the Nobel Peace Prize recipient for 2020, the United Nations World Food Programme provides desperately needed rations to every corner of the globe, no matter how dangerous the situation. Executive Director David Beasley leads the organization and shares what he has seen on the ground, why he won't give up the hope of eradicating hunger, and why we should all be united in joining him on the mission. Related United Nations World Food Programme Bush Institute's work supporting Afghan women and g...
Jan 21, 2022•41 min•Season 5Ep. 1
