Forum on Leadership - The Call of Freedom

Welcome Remarks

Speakers:

• Ken Hersh, President and CEO, George W. Bush Center
• Jennifer Chandler, Managing Director, President of Bank of America Dallas, and Head of Philanthropic Solutions for Bank of America

Voices of Freedom

When freedom is under attack, oppressed people’s most powerful tool is often their voice and the voices of others. Brave individuals rise up and risk their safety and comfort to demand respect for human rights and speak truth to power every day. This panel will feature activists pushing back against authoritarian threats around the world

Speakers:

• Pashtana Durrani, Founder and Executive Director, LEARN Afghanistan
• Joseph Kim, Program Manager, Global Policy and Expert-in-Residence, George W. Bush Institute
• Alice Zhuravel, Ukrainian Social Entrepreneur and Innovator
• Natalie Gonnella-Platts, Director, Global Policy, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)

America’s role in the world leads to competition and clashes with Russia and China, including when it comes to promoting values of human dignity and personal freedoms. Top minds on this issue will discuss how human rights and democracy factor into the great power competition.

Speakers:

• Ambassador Mark Green, President, Director, and CEO, Wilson Center
• William Inboden, Professor and Director, Alexander Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education, University of Florida
• Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Executive Vice President, Freedom House and the Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow, George W. Bush Institute
• Igor Khrestin, The Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director, Global Policy, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)

The George W. Bush Institute Citation is awarded annually to recognize a leader or organization who has made an impact in their community and has inspired others to take action to solve today’s most pressing challenges. The honorees have demonstrated a sustained commitment to a cause and have become a model by which others are measured. They are passionate, value-driven, empathetic, humble, and servant leaders.

We are proud to present the 2024 George W. Bush Institute Citation to Creamos, accepted by Executive Director Hannah Sklar.

Creamos is a multiservice nonprofit focusing on the intersection between gender-based violence and economic security. Specifically, it works to dismantle the systemic and micro barriers perpetuating societal and workforce exclusion and unsafe living conditions for women living in the community surrounding the Guatemala City garbage dump.

Speakers:

• David Kramer, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute
• Hannah Sklar, Executive Director, Creamos

While foundational to the beliefs of our nation, religious freedom is still denied to many around the globe. This conversation will dive into the global significance of this liberty and its domestic importance for our pluralistic society.

Speakers:

• Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs
• David French, Opinion Columnist, The New York Times
• Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director, ADL
• Chris Walsh, Director, Global Policy, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)

The United States is facing a world transformed by geopolitical challenges, strategic competition, and transnational threats. How does U.S. intelligence assess and meet the global landscape from Russia and China to the Middle East and transnational repression?

Speakers:

• William J. Burns, Director, Central Intelligence Agency
  David J. Kramer, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute