Tenth annual class comprised of 57 accomplished leaders including educators, physicians, public servants, and corporate professionals; program begins on Jan. 29 in Philadelphia
Jan. 15, 2025 – Today, the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program announced the 57 Scholars who will form the program’s 10th annual class. For the past decade, PLS has brought together more than 500 diverse, established leaders to collaborate and make a difference in the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
The class was selected after a rigorous application and review process. Scholars were selected based on their leadership growth potential and their personal leadership projects aimed at addressing a problem or need in their community, the country, or the world.
Over the course of several months, Scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders, and leading academics. They will study and put into practice varying leadership principles and exchange ideas to help maximize their impact in the communities they serve.
The program kicks off on Jan. 29.
The incoming class joins an active network of hundreds of alumni, accomplished Scholars who are making a difference in the United States and around the world by applying lessons learned through the program. Examples of these Scholar-led efforts include: advocating for patients and working on protocols to reduce unnecessary amputations in the U.S.; bridging divides through more intentional language; and reducing emergency response times.
Scholars have consistently reported remarkable growth in skills, responsibilities, and opportunities for impact since the program began in 2015. For example, 96% of Scholars said their confidence in how they lead social change has improved as a result of PLS, and 97% of Scholars reported they are inspired to accomplish more since beginning the program.
2025 Scholars:
- Amit Acharya, Vice Chief Science Officer, Advocate Health; Vice Dean for Regional Research Strategy and Integration, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Highland Park, IL
- Sarah Adeel, Senior Program Manager, Amazon, San Jose, CA
- Andrea Alberto, Executive Director, Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation, Dedham, MA
- Brian Aquart, Vice President of Workforce and Community Education, Northwell Health, Forest Hills, NY
- Osundolu Atanda, Board-Certified Pediatric Dentist, Black Hills Pediatric Dentistry, Rapid City, SD
- Mazi Bahadori, Chief Operating Officer, Altruist, Irvine, CA
- Marshall Bahr, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Lead The Way Recovery and Xterra Health, Salem, OH
- Arturo Barrio, Assistant Vice President for International Relations, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
- Beau Belanger, Air Station Borinquen Aeronautical Engineering Officer, United States Coast Guard, Aguadilla, PR
- A. Brooke Bennett, Chief of Staff for Representative French Hill, U.S. House of Representatives, Arlington, VA
- Tracee Bentley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Permian Strategic Partnership, Midland, TX
- Amy Betzen, Vice President, Goldman Sachs, Dallas, TX
- Suresh Bhavnani, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public and Population Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
- Derek Brown, Founder, Positive Damage, Washington, DC
- Brandon Bryson, Chief Magistrate Judge, Bartow County, Georgia, Cartersville, GA
- Andrea Christianson, Partner, Penta Group, Arlington, VA
- Stefanie Christmas, Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Inizio, Philadelphia, PA
- Jasmine Darnell, Global Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Lyft, Oakland, CA
- Tracy Dufault, Senior Vice President of Merchandising Operations, Walmart U.S., Walmart, Little Flock, AR
- Neta Ezer, Director of Strategy, Northrop Grumman, Columbia, MD
- Laura Farber, Vice President, Schools, NewGlobe Education, Dallas, TX
- Stephiney Foley, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Yuzi Care, Seattle, WA
- Carol Goglia, President and Chief Executive Officer, Catch Up & Read, Dallas, TX
- Mary Ann Gomez Orta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, Chevy Chase, MD
- Beth Gonzales, Deputy Director, Policy, Planning and Performance Management, City of Philadelphia, Office of Homeless Services, Philadelphia, PA
- Sachin Gupta, Vice President, Business and Technology Strategies, Central Rural Electric Cooperative, Stillwater, OK
- Marissa Jarratt, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer, 7-Eleven Inc., Plano, TX
- Angela Johnson, Family Office Manager, SunTx Capital Partners, Dallas, TX
- Timothy Johnson, Director, Center for Graduate and Pre-Professional Education, Dillard University, Baton Rouge, LA
- Maya Jones, Pediatric Emergency Physician, Doc Majic LLC, New Orleans, LA
- Paule Joseph, Lasker Clinical Investigator, National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Bethesda, MD
- Adria Kitchens, Director of Equity and Activism, Out of Hand Theater, Atlanta, GA
- Erin Lewellen, Chief Executive Officer, Tilting Futures, Oakland, CA
- Ed Magee, Chief Operating Officer, Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine, Belmont University, Franklin, TN
- Niki Marin, Founder and President, Beneath the Service, Washington, DC
- Kaitlin McCarthy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ionic Development Company, Boston, MA
- Beau McCastlain, 2024 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Arkansas Department of Education and De Queen Public Schools, De Queen, AR
- Kelly McGraw, Chief Impact Officer, The Honor Foundation, Tampa, FL
- Aalok Mehta, Lead, Responsible AI Policy, Google, Washington, DC
- Sinit Mehtsun, Executive Director, Gilead Sciences, Washington, DC
- Kate Morton, Chief Clinical Officer, Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, Albuquerque, NM
- Caitlin Orth, Executive Director, The Ruth and Hal Launders Charitable Trust, Potomac, MD
- Sonali Patel, Vice President, Partnerships, Think of Us, Los Angeles, CA
- Bill Poole, Finance Director, State of Alabama, Department of Finance, Tuscaloosa, AL
- Emily Renzelli, Counsel, Rule Garza Howley, Morgantown, WV
- David Reyes, Manager, Talent and Leadership Development, Southwest Airlines, Arlington, TX
- Erblin Ribari, Chief Financial Officer, dua.com, Somerville, MA
- Brittany Richman, Children’s Book Author, Rapid City, SD
- Joel Sawady, Primary Care Physician, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA
- Jason Schlafer, Executive Associate Athletics Director and Special Assistant to the President and Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, University of Kentucky, Nicholasville, KY
- Kevin Schmiegel, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ZeroMils, Arlington, VA
- Francesca Schuler, Chief Executive Officer, The Nantucket Project, Sonoma, CA
- Erica Shelton, Assistant Professor and Emergency Medicine Physician, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Ray Toenniessen, Deputy Executive Director, D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Covina, CA
- Carlos Torres, Pediatrician, Primary Care, MassGeneral Brigham, Milton, MA
- Ilana Turko, Assistant Secretary for Public Safety, Officer of Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State Executive Chamber, New York, NY
- Brian Vo, Chief Investment Officer, Connect Humanity, Bethesda, MD
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About Presidential Leadership Scholars
Presidential Leadership Scholars is a partnership among the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. To learn more, visit www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org. For updates about the Presidential Leadership Scholars, use #PLScholars and follow @PLSprogram on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.