Anita McBride

Anita McBride is an internationally recognized expert on the legacies of American first ladies and operations of the White House. In 2023, she co-authored Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women, showcasing the evolving role of the first lady and its historical influence on the American presidency, politics, policy and global diplomacy. She also co-authored a first of its kind textbook, U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies, filling a critical gap in academic literature on the study of first ladies and their accomplishments In 2024, she co-authored with her daughter a children’s book, First Ladies Make History, published by the White House Historical Association.

She is a founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE), a national organization affiliated with American University’s School of Public Affairs, which promotes research and education about the lives, contributions, and lasting legacies of U.S. First Ladies. McBride also serves as executive-in-residence at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University where she leads (the First Ladies Initiative). She also serves as an advisor to the university’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics.

McBride’s expertise on the White House and the influence of first ladies was acquired through her two decades of experience serving in senior roles under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush in the White House and U.S. Department of State. She is one of the longest-tenured women in White House history.

As Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush, she directed the first lady’s work on a wide range of global and domestic initiatives including education reform, literacy, women’s health, historic preservation, promotion of the arts and culture and stewardship of our national parks. She directed the first lady’s travels to 67 countries in four years to support the Administration’s U.S. foreign policy objectives in advancing democracy, global health, education and literacy, and women’s empowerment.

McBride is active in a number of organizations serving in leadership roles including as a board officer of the White House Historical Association where she Chairs the Association’s biannual Presidential Sites Summit – a convening of 200+ presidential historic sites from across the nation to promote civic education and the understanding and appreciation of presidential history.