A Note from Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center

Dear John,

As we round the one-year mark since quarantines began and our lives changed, I’ve been thinking about resilience and adaptation.

One year ago, who among us could have imagined that we wouldn’t leave the house without a mask or hand sanitizer? Or that we could live for so many months distanced from some of our nearest and dearest family and friends?

But the lessons of adaptation haven’t just been COVID related. Last month, Mother Nature threw Texans a curve ball, with a weeklong freeze that reminded us once again that we need to adjust our thinking to derive strategies that protect our infrastructure and health.

Globally, we need to think broadly about protecting humanity. The planet is changing, and we’re seeing the effects. But it’s happened many times before. We know that forests once covered the poles and that there were ice sheets and oceans over many of the world’s deserts. As humans have done throughout history, we must adapt to a changing planet.

Locally, things are changing again. Vaccines are rolling out, the economy is gradually reopening, and we’re planning to do the same here at the Bush Institute over the next few months.

But throughout this past year of change, it’s been clear to me that the Bush Institute’s work as an action-oriented, nonpartisan policy organization focusing on developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges has never been more important. The challenges may have changed, but the principles that guide us and the ways we develop solutions have not. If we are grounded in principles, navigating uncertainty is much easier.

Despite Zoom and social distancing, our work at the Bush Institute made a difference around the world in 2020 and has seamlessly pivoted to 2021.

We have presented much-needed and practical solutions on the crucial issue of immigration reform through a series of op/eds, speaker events, and white papers. All of this is in conjunction with the release of President Bush’s new book, Out of Many, One and a special exhibit at the museum of 43 portraits of immigrants painted by President Bush and featured in his book.

After a coup d’état in Burma in February, many of the alumni of our Burmese leadership program and subject matter experts rallied in support of human rights and democracy there <[link removed]>. We pray every day for their safety and that their voices will be heard.

At the same time, we are continuing our groundbreaking work in education reform, veterans’ well-being, global health, women’s empowerment, and leadership development, building on the following successes in 2020:

* We influenced policy in Central America <[link removed]> to make government and financial services more transparent and accessible so that they can more successfully fight the corruption which stunts economic growth in the region.
* We influenced policy to promote economic integration <[link removed]> between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
* We launched the connections pilot called “Check In” <[link removed]> to link veterans to mental health services and advocated for policies to support post-9/11 veterans in education, employment, and health and well-being.
* We hosted our ninth and final School Leadership Initiative convening, <[link removed]> a program that has supported four school districts in improving their principal talent-management systems.
* We continued to provide services for women in Africa <[link removed]> to prevent and treat cervical cancer.
* The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries provided a disaster relief grant to the Dallas Independent School District <[link removed]> to replenish school libraries that were destroyed in the 2019 tornadoes.
* We transitioned our leadership programs online and continued to develop and work with our scholars <[link removed]> around the world.

Your interest and support of our work has fueled our past successes and will drive us in the months and years to come.

While never abandoning our core values and the principles laid out by President and Mrs. Bush, we are ready to tackle whatever comes next, adapting and taking on the many changes in our country and our world.

Best regards,

Kenneth A. Hersh
President and CEO, George W. Bush Presidential Center



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