Anita B. McBride

Anita B. McBride directs the Legacies of America’s First Ladies Initiative at American University where she serves as executive in residence in the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies in the School of Public Affairs and is an advisor to the university’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics. Her White House experience spans three decades and four administrations including service as assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She is a founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and is a frequent speaker and media commentator on White House history, its occupants, and presidential transitions. She recently co-authored U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies, the first ever textbook on the evolution of the role of first lady and their initiatives and substantive contributions throughout our history.