Learning from First Ladies with Anita McBride
In this episode of Leadership and Legacy, Anita McBride—author and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush—offers an insider’s perspective on the evolving role of America’s first ladies. Drawing on her own White House experience, McBride highlights how communication, altruism, and quiet courage have shaped some of the most impactful partnerships in presidential history. From behind-the-scenes influence to public leadership, she demonstrates how first ladies have helped to define the nation’s highest office. Tune in to gain insights on the many roles of women in the White House, our expectations of a first lady, and leadership lessons from the first military spouse of the United States.
Leadership and Legacy: Conversations at the George Washington Presidential Library is hosted by Washington Library Executive Director Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky. It is a production of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and Primary Source Media. For more information about this program, go to www.GeorgeWashingtonPodcast.com.
Anita McBride
Expert on First Ladies’ Legacies and White House History and Operations
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… Read More
