Former First Ladies To Speak At Texas A&M
Former first ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush will be joined by former staff members, historians and White House insiders at the “America’s First Ladies: An Enduring Legacy” conference Tuesday (Nov. 15) at the George Bush Presidential Library Center at Texas A&M University.
The conference will examine the role of the nation’s first ladies and their influence in America’s politics, domestic policy and global diplomacy, and give insight into how these leaders behind the leaders help affect change and advance our society in valuable ways.
“America’s First Ladies: An Enduring Legacy” is the first in a series of three conferences to be offered by the three Texas Presidential Libraries over the next year and presented in partnership with American University, Texas A&M University, the White House Historical Association, George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation. The conferences are organized by Anita McBride, Executive in Residence at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush.
Schedule:
1 p.m. Panel 1 – Influence Makers: First Ladies in American History
- Moderator: Mark Updegrove, director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum
- Panel participants: Allida Black, project director and editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers; Edith Mayo, curator emerita, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History; Lynda Johnson Robb, daughter of President and Mrs. Lyndon Baines Johnson
2:15 p.m. Panel 2 – Behind the Scenes in the East Wing: Senior Advisors to the First Ladies
- Introduction of panel: Alan Lowe, director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library
- Panel Participants: Julie Cooke, former projects director for Barbara Bush; Bobbie Greene McCarthy, deputy chief of staff for Hillary Clinton; Noelia Rodriguez, former press secretary for Laura Bush; Susan Sher, former chief of staff for Michelle Obama
5:30 p.m. Evening event – Reflections of First Ladies Mrs. Barbara Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush
- Introduction of panel: Andrew Card, acting dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service
- Moderator: Richard Norton Smith, presidential historian
- Panel participants: Mrs. Barbara Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush
Reservations are required for the afternoon panels. The evening event is sold out. For questions about seating and reservations, please contact Tracy Paine, Bush Library and Museum public programs director, at (979) 691-4014.
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, under the direction of Warren Finch, is part of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Presidential Libraries system.
American University is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and nearly 140 countries. Located in Washington, D.C., the university provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nation’s capital and around the world.
