MICHAEL H. ARMACOST JOE L. BARTON BRENDA G. BERKMAN DENNIS C. BLAIR JOHN L. BORLING JAMES E. BOSTIC, JR. SAMUEL D. BROWNBACK THOMAS J. CAMPBELL KURT M. CAMPBELL LINCOLN W. CAPLAN, II GARREY E. CARRUTHERS BRAD R. CARSON CLAYTON M. CHRISTENSEN HENRY G. CISNEROS ANNE H. COHN DONNELLY RODNEY A. COLEMAN CESAR CONDE WILLIAM R. COTTER THOMAS E. CRONIN PETER M. DAWKINS JOHN DE LUCA NELSON A. DIAZ LEON A. EDNEY BARNES H. ELLIS MARSHA J. E FELLOW US S O P H R E O EVANST JOHN FENZEL,J III MICHAEL B.G. FROMAN PAUL A. GIGOT I E C H T JEFFW REY GLUECK SURVEYING LAWRENCE E .AMERIC GOLUB DAORIS’S LE KAEARNSDER GOODWINSHIP ROBERT L. GORDON, IIIA Study JONATHAN of the White SCOTT House GRATION Fellows RICHARD GRECO, JR. WILL A. GUNN SANJAY GUPTA ROBERT D. HAAS GEORGE H. HEILMEIER CHARLES L. HIRSCH RICHARD D. HOOKER, JR. SAMUEL H. HOWARD EUGENE J. HUANG DAVID C. IgLESIAS JENNIFER A. JACOBS JON P. JENNINGS MARTIN C. JISCKE W. THOMAS JOHNSON RAYMOND E. JOHNS, JR. ROBERT L. JOSS DAVID K. KARNES WILLIAM J. KILBERG KRIS W. KOBACH CHARLES R. LARSON WILLIAM J. LENNOX, JR. THOMAS C. LEPPERT MICHAEL N. LEVY BERNARD LOEFFKE NICOLE M.E. MALACHOWSKI JULISSA MARENCO MARK J. MATHABANE JOHN W. MCCARTER, JR. ROBERT C. MCFARLANE JOHN M. MCGINTY JOHN MCKAY DANA G. MEAD W. DELANO MERIWETHER WESTLEY WATENDE MOORE DAVID C. MULFORD HOWARD N. NEMEROVSKI ROBERT C. ORR JAMES J. PADILLA MICHELLE PELUSO JANE CAHILL PFEIFFER PERCY A. PIERRE STEVEN L. POIZNER ROGER B. PORTER COLIN L. POWELL JOHN S. PUSTAY CHARLES D. RAVENEL ROBERT L. REFFKIN MITCHELL B.REISS ANN E. RONDEAU THOMAS A. SAPONAS LYNN A. SCHENK MERRIE SPAETH EVERETT S. SPAIN MARTHA E. STARK SUSAN S. STAUTBERG DEANELL R. TACHA KIMBERLY TILL RAJEEV V. VENKAYYA PATRICK M. WALSH LEIGH WARNER MICHAEL WING TIMOTHY E. WIRTH TIMOTHY C. WU GEORGE H. YOUNG, III DIANE C. YU E FELLOW US S O P H R E O T J I E C H T W SURVEYING AMERICA’S LEADERSHIP A Study of the White House Fellows Do not use without permission of the principal investigator. © 2009 by Rice University This material may be quoted or reproduced without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given to Rice University and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. For further information about Rice University, the Baker Institute, or this report, please contact David Ruth at [email protected], visit the Rice Web site at www.rice.edu, or visit the institute’s Web site at www. bakerinstitute.org. Surveying America’s Leadership — © D. Michael Lindsay, Rice University Do not use without permission of the principal investigator. Contents About this Report, 5 Origins and Aims of the White House Fellowship, 7 Fellows’ Impact on Society, 11 Characteristics of Fellows, 17 Benefits of the Fellowship Experience, 27 Relationships and Connections, 33 Fellows’ Personal Lives, 37 Viewpoints of Fellows, 41 Top 20 Books Recently Read by Fellows, 45 Additional Interesting Responses from Fellows, 46 Appendix A: Survey Results, 47 Appendix B: Regression Tables, 55 Appendix C: List of White House Fellows, 63 Surveying America’s Leadership — © D. Michael Lindsay, Rice University Do not use without permission of the principal investigator. About this Report from the White House Fellows Project The White House Fellows Project Grace Hager, Ipek Martinez, Omar Presidents Diane Yu and Bob (WHF Project) is an initiative of Metwalli, Payton Odom, Andrew Edmonds, who provided great Professor D. Michael Lindsay of Patterson, Jeremy Porter, Ariela counsel and assistance in bringing Rice University. It explores the Schachter, Melissa Sheng, and the WHF Project to completion. role of the White House Fellowship Betsy Stokes. Administrative and We also want to recognize former in the lives of America’s top logistical support for the project Fellows Jerome Loughridge, Doris leaders and examines the was provided by Meagan Alley, Meissner, and Mike Ullman, who program’s impact on improving Lisa Birenbaum, Garrett Dolan, offered help at critical moments the quality of the nation’s Ute Franklin, Sonja Fulbright, during the course of the study. leadership. A signature element Carlos Garcia, Patsy Garcia, Shawn Finally, the WHF Project and of the WHF Project was the first O’Neill, Jean Packard, Kelly Quin, this report would not have been comprehensive survey of current Heather Stern, Shirley Tapscott, possible without the financial and former Fellows, conducted in and Chris Zalesky. We gratefully support of grants from Rice late 2008. Follow-up interviews acknowledge the support of University’s Faculty Initiatives are currently underway with a Rice University President David Fund, the James A. Baker III number of Fellows, directors, Leebron and Provost Gene Levy as Institute for Public Policy, and and commissioners who have well as colleagues Elizabeth Long, the Carnegie Corporation of New been associated with the program Lyn Ragsdale, Victoria Ricks, York. At the Baker Institute, we over its 45-year history. This Darrow Zeidenstein, and Jeanette especially thank Ambassador report, “Surveying America’s Zey—all of whom assisted with Edward P. Djerejian and Professor Leadership: A Study of the White fundraising efforts for the WHF Allen Matusow, and at the House Fellows,” details major Project and supported this study Carnegie Corporation, Geraldine findings from the survey, which from its beginning. P. Mannion. The study also could was conducted by the National not have occurred without the Opinion Research Center under Photographs in this report have generous support of Vester T. the direction of Raymond Lodato been graciously provided by Hughes, Jack and Sherlie Rowe, and Lisa Setlak. various presidential libraries and and Joanne and Malcolm Turner. the White House Photo Office. We Throughout this report, the use also thank Fellows John McGinty The analyses and views expressed of “all Fellows” in graphs and and M. Tim Parris for providing in this publication are solely the statistics has been reserved for personal photographs. Finally, we responsibility of the project’s references to all White House thank Brian Cossiboom, Ashley principal investigator. For more Fellows. Otherwise, the graphs Hickey, and Don Willett for their information on this project or and statistics in this report help in securing photographs other studies on leadership represent the 473 Fellows through the George W. Bush in America, please contact who completed the survey, Presidential Library. Professor D. Michael Lindsay, representing 78% of all living Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Fellows. Hence, their responses We especially thank Janet MS–28, Houston, Texas, 77005, or represent most Fellows, but this Eissenstat, director of the via email at [email protected]. study did not entail a complete President’s Commission on White census of the Fellows. House Fellowships from 2005 until 2009, who lent invaluable support Beyond Professor Lindsay’s to the WHF Project. We are also contribution, this report is a incredibly appreciative of Jack collaborative effort directed by LeCuyer, executive director of the O. Pat Hastings and based on White House Fellows Foundation input and analysis from Amanda and Association, as well as Dworak, Conrad Hackett, Mary Foundation and Association Surveying America’s Leadership — © D. Michael Lindsay, Rice University 5 Do not use without permission of the principal investigator. Origins and Aims of the White House Fellowship Great ideas are often born in an evening at the White House. Since its establishment in unsettled times. In the midst of In the fall of 1964, 250 student 1964, the White House Fellows the tumult of the mid-1960s, leaders arrived at the president’s Program has been the nation’s Carnegie Corporation President bequest. Johnson addressed the most prestigious and competitive John Gardner approached one of students about the importance fellowship for early-career President Lyndon B. Johnson’s of engaging young people for leaders, providing them with an trusted aides with an idea America’s future: “A genuinely unmatched opportunity to work for engaging talented young free society cannot be a spectator with officials at the highest levels Americans for civic leadership. At society.... Freedom, in its deepest of government. The nonpartisan, the time, Johnson was increasingly sense, requires participation— year-long program assigns 12–19 concerned about the disaffection full, zestful, knowledgeable exceptional people to work as between youth and government. participation. Toward that end, senior aides to top government According to Gardner, the idea I have today established a new officials such as the president, was “straightforward”: program entitled the White House the first lady, the vice president, 2 Fellows.” a cabinet secretary, or a member “Each year a presidential of the White House staff. This commission would select a handful governmental official supervises of outstanding young men and and ideally mentors the Fellow women to come to Washington and is known as the Fellow’s 2 Remarks to a group of college student and participate in government leaders, October 3, 1964. “principal.” Often Fellows attend at the highest levels. As special assistants to key officials in the Executive Branch, the fellows would learn the workings of the federal government. We believed they would also learn a great deal about leadership as they saw the nation’s leaders at work and met with leaders from other parts of society. We hoped the program would strengthen the Fellows’ abilities and desires to contribute to their communities, their professions and the country.”1 Johnson was enthusiastic about the idea and proceeded to invite campus leaders from universities across the country for 1 John Gardner as quoted in Patricia O’Toole’s White House Fellows: A Sense of Involvement, A Vision of Greatness (Washington D.C.: White House Fellows President Johnson and John Gardner. Photo courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library Foundation, 1995), v.