Conferences
The First Ladies Initiative (FLI) at American University has hosted many exceptional conferences highlighting the impact of first ladies on our nation's history. FLI has also  partnered with a number of other organizations, including the White House Historical Association, the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE), the National Archives and various presidential libraries, to bring these women's stories to life and promote their contributions to the presidency and the country.Â
First Lady Betty Ford: 50th Anniversary Celebration (April 2024)
The first national conference organized by the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) in partnership with American University's School of Public Affairs' First Ladies Initiative and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation was held on April 26, 2024, at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI. The conference celebrated Betty Ford's 50th Anniversary as First Lady and the 40th Anniversary of her leadership in convening the first ever conference (in 1984) on the legacies of first ladies. Dr. Jill Biden delivered welcome remarks at the First Ladies Luncheon preceding the afternoon conference. The conference panel discussions with first lady authors and experts discussed the pivotal roles Betty Ford and other first ladies play in our nation's history and include a review of the extensive first lady scholarship that was inspired by and grew out of Mrs. Ford's visionary event in 1984.
White House Historical Association Presidential Sites Summit (September 2023)
White House Historical Association's Presidential Sites Summit in Washington, DC -- September 2023
White House Historical Association Presidential Sites Summit (March 2022)
The First Ladies Symposium (May 2021)
The First Ladies Symposium was a day-long virtual event hosted by the White House Historical Association in partnership with American University's First Ladies Initiative. It featured an opening statement by First Lady Jill Biden and conversations with prominent scholars, historians, and professionals who discussed first ladies and gender; first ladies reconsidered; first ladies and communications; and first ladies and their role in historic preservation efforts.Â
White House Historical Association panel on First Lady Pat Nixon (September 2019)
White House Historical Association Presidential Sites Summit in Washington, DC (August 2018)
America's First Ladies: Service to Our Nation (September 2016)
Former First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush were joined by historians, former staff members, and White House insiders for a unique conference held at the National Archives. The event organized by the School of Public Affairs in partnership with the American University Library, the White House Historical Association, Joining Forces, the George W. Bush Institute, and the National Archives and Records Administration.
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America's First Ladies: An Enduring Legacy (April 2013)
Former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush participated in a luncheon discussion with Archivist of the United States David Ferriero, Tenth Archivist of the United States. The conference commemorated former First Lady Betty Ford's 95th birthday and kicked off centennial celebrations honoring former President Gerald R. Ford. Participants included presidential historians and former first children Susan Ford Bales and Steve Ford, who shared intimate accounts of public life and private moments in the White House.
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The Enduring Legacies of America's First Ladies (November 2012)
This conference featured historians, advisers to former first ladies and presidents, a veteran White House photographer, representatives from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and the American University Library, and former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush, who offered personal reflections about Lady Bird Johnson to mark her centennial birthday. The panelists offered their perspectives on the legacies of these women and family life in the White House.
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America's First Ladies: An Enduring Vision (March 2012)
Presidents of American University and Southern Methodist University opened the conference, which included presidential historians, social secretaries and presidential advisers, White House photographers, national media correspondents, former President George W. Bush, and former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush. Through lively discussions and historic images, they examined the vital role First Ladies have played throughout our history.
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America's First Ladies: An Enduring Legacy (November 2011)
Presidential historians, senior advisers to first ladies, and former First Ladies Barbara Bush and Laura Bush discussed the challenges and opportunities of this unique position. They offered a behind-the-scenes look at work in the East Wing and life in the White House residence. This event also was the first public forum in which these women shared their experiences as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law serving in this role.
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The Legacies of America's First Ladies (March 2011)
This conference launched a national dialogue on America's first ladies in partnership with the National Archives Presidential Libraries, the White House Historical Association, and academic institutions. Participants included renowned historians, former presidential advisers, First Ladies' chiefs of staff, veteran members of the White House press corps, and American University faculty. They offered insiders' perspectives on first ladies throughout our history, their private lives and public roles, and the impact they have had on politics, policy, and global diplomacy.
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The School of Public Affairs First Ladies Initiative
is proud to partner with the following institutions:
