Applications for the 2027 class of Presidential Leadership Scholars are open. Apply now.
All the latest Scholar stories, updates from the modules, program news, and more.
Bianca Davis, 2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar and CEO of Dallas-based nonprofit New Friends New Life, shares how the PLS Program shaped and inspired her work to combat human trafficking in Texas.
Bianca Davis
Class of 2023
Dr. Amy Fiedler is a cardiothoracic surgeon, an assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco, and a 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar.
Amy Fiedler
Class of 2020
Scholars heard from President George W. Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, Ambassador Deborah Birx, Bush Center president and CEO Ken Hersh, and Dana Perino during the second module.
Keely Cat-Wells is a 2024 Presidential Leadership Scholar and the Co-Founder and CEO of Making Space and Making Space Media, an organization that provides the necessary resources and opportunities for disabled people to create meaningful careers and become influential leaders. She shares her dedication to advancing the rights of disabled people and how the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program impacted her ability to lead and collaborate in meaningful ways.
Keely Cat-Wells
Class of 2024
The 2025 cohort of Presidential Leadership Scholars began their journey with module one in Philadelphia.
Bayeté Ross Smith, 2019 Presidential Leadership Scholar, artist, and adjunct instructor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, discusses his passion for creating impactful art and the lessons he learned in the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.
Bayeté Ross Smith
Class of 2019
Wade Lairsen, 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar and CEO of The Birthday Party Project, discusses his passion for creating joy that changes people’s lives and the lessons he learned in the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.
Wade Lairsen
Class of 2009
Tenth annual class comprised of 57 accomplished leaders including educators, physicians, public servants, and corporate professionals; program begins on Jan. 29 in Philadelphia