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

Dear John,

As we end the year, I want to extend my thanks for your support of our work at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Each day, we strive to follow President and Mrs. Bush’s lead and work for freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion while championing civility, civil discourse, and decorum.
I’m heartened by the community that we’ve built and by all those who read our material, listen to our podcasts, attend our convenings, and financially invest in our work. I am humbled by your concern for our country and your willingness to step up.
The work that we do together is more important than ever, as is President Bush’s voice – and that includes his paintbrush.

His powerful collection of 43 portraits, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants <[link removed]>, reminds us all of the countless ways that America has been strengthened by those who have come here in search of a better life. The exhibit and book by the same name demonstrate the promise of America and our proud history as a Nation of immigrants. To launch them <[link removed]> this year, President Bush wrote an op-ed on immigration reform for The Washington Post and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS Sunday Morning , NBC’s TODAY Show , and a special on Fox News.

Out of Many, One shined a spotlight on the Bush Center’s enormous body of work on comprehensive immigration reform. We tapped every asset that we have – from our programs to our Bush Institute experts to our digital communications – and showcased the power of our platform and our thought leadership. Our immigration work this year has therefore become a great model for future initiatives on other topics.

In the first half of the year, our team issued recommendations <[link removed]> to modernize our antiquated immigration policy which included a smarter border policy. Many of the policy recommendations we made have resonated with the Biden Administration, Capitol Hill staff, and immigration coalition partners.
The same was true of Afghanistan, where we had worked for years to promote opportunity, access, and agency for women and girls.

During and after the final pullout of U.S. troops, the combined efforts of the Women’s Initiative, the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative’s immigration team, and our Military Service Initiative pivoted to help Afghans and their families. <[link removed]> The disaster facing Afghan evacuees – particularly women and girls – once again highlighted the need for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.

Crises aren’t the time to start getting smart on complicated topics. Over many years, the Bush Institute established itself as a voice of reason in these circles and our experts were able to quickly react and make a difference. I’m proud of our directors, who have put forth rational solutions based upon data and what’s happening on the ground.

We used our platform to produce policy recommendations, op-eds, and social media and website content to explain the situation and need for immediate action. Moreover, these recommendations were spotlighted at the Congressional Briefing of the National Immigration Forum and inspired a letter in support of Afghan women and girls <[link removed]> signed by all 24 female U.S. senators.

Statements from President and Mrs. Bush amplified our message, including a video in June in which Mrs. Bush expressed support for Afghan women and girls. <[link removed]> President and Mrs. Bush, President and Mrs. Obama, and President and Secretary Clinton joined together to serve as honorary co-chairs for the Welcome.US <[link removed]> coalition, which helps Afghan evacuees settle in the United States.

In addition to these critical efforts on immigration and Afghanistan, we continued with our important work in education reform, veterans’ well-being, global health, and human freedom.

The third and largest cohort of the Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program graduated <[link removed]> in October after being inspired by speakers such as General James Mattis, Lieutenant General Nadja West, Superintendent David Brown, Dr. Deborah Birx, and astronauts Dr. Jonny Kim and Victor Glover, among others. The program didn’t miss a beat, though we had to gather the 50 Scholars virtually for the first two modules. Our Presidential Leadership Scholars program <[link removed]> also resumed virtually in August for the Class of 2020, which was forced to pause in March 2020 because of the pandemic.

Acting safely and carefully, it’s been a joy to reopen our doors and welcome our team, our Scholars, and many valued guests back to the Bush Center for in-person events.

We’re excited to build on our successes going forward. Our 2021 work on immigration and Afghanistan has illustrated that we can be a real resource for the country when it comes to finding answers on difficult topics.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in our work, which makes it all possible. Together, we can make a difference for our great Nation in 2022 and beyond.

Sincerely,

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



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