Eleventh annual class comprised of 60 accomplished leaders includes educators, physicians, public servants, and corporate professionals; program begins on Jan. 21 in Washington, D.C.
Jan. 7, 2026 – Today, the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program announced the 60 Scholars who will form the program’s 11th annual class. Over the past decade, PLS has brought together nearly 600 established, purpose-driven leaders from across the United States to collaborate and make a difference in our nation and 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. 21 in Washington, D.C.
The incoming class joins an active network of hundreds of alumni, who are accomplished leaders applying lessons learned through the program to drive real, positive change. Examples of these Scholar-led efforts include: fighting back against human trafficking in Texas; creating pathways to prepare students for building and trade careers; partnering with fellow Scholars in various fields to advance protections for the world’s lands and oceans; and advocating for patients and working on protocols to reduce unnecessary amputations in the U.S.
Scholars have consistently reported remarkable growth in skills, responsibilities, and opportunities for impact since the program began in 2015. For example, 93% of Scholars state they have a strong sense of purpose as a leader, and 100% of Scholars state they are inspired to accomplish and achieve more after completing the program.
2026 Scholars:
- Jean Accius, President and CEO, CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, Laurel, MD
- Javid Ahmad, Research Fellow, Middle East Institute, Washington, DC
- Vickie Allen, Chief Impact Officer, The Dallas Foundation, DeSoto, TX
- Misti Allison, Lead Solutions Marketing Manager, Ivanti, East Palestine, OH
- Frank Arce, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA
- Awais Ashfaq, Associate Professor, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Maineville, OH
- Sarah Banks, Public Health Services Division Director, Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency, Waynesville, NC
- Arellana Barela Levenson, President and Founder, Cultivar Communities, Austin, TX
- Tequilla Brownie, CEO, TNTP, Marion, AR
- Justin Burch, President and CEO, Delta Compass, Greenville, MS
- Emily Calderon Galdeano, CEO, Elevate Consulting Group, San Antonio, TX
- Krysta Cass Kozlowski, President, SaVida Health; Senior Chief of Staff, Council Capital, Clarksville, TN
- Jessica Dangles, Executive Director, Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Chicago, IL
- Erin Dawicki, CEO and Co-Founder, LymeAlert, Halifax, MA
- Isidore Dinga Madou, Adult Cardiovascular Surgeon, Northwest Permanente, P.C. Physicians and Surgeons, Lake Oswego, OR
- Nicholas Dockery, Vice President, Portfolio Improvement, Regent, L.P., Alexandria, VA
- Nadine Ebri, CEO, Ebri Education, Jacksonville, FL
- Doug Fiefia, Head of Partnerships, DOMO, Herriman, UT
- Dave Forman, Commandant of Midshipmen’s Strategic Advisor, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
- David Franklin, Founder and CEO, Naviday Health, Boston, MA
- Michele Frix, Executive Vice President, Seattle Foundation, Seattle, WA
- Tremain Holloway, Doctoral Resident, Boston Public Schools, Cambridge, MA
- Benson Hsu, President and Chair, Aequitas Health, Sioux Falls, SD
- Wroe Jackson, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Texas Association of Manufacturers, Austin, TX
- Amit Jain, Associate Professor Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Business, Director Value Based Care, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD
- Lauren James, Executive Director, Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation, Noblesville, IN
- Amir Kabir, Founder and Managing Partner, Overlook Ventures, San Francisco, CA
- Rebecca Kaduru, President, Institute for Sustainable Communities, Nashville, TN
- Nebu Kolenchery, Chief Revenue Officer, Flourish and Thrive Labs, St. Louis, MO
- Angela Landers, Director, Public Relations, Arnold Ventures, Houston, TX
- E. Sean Lanier, Founder and Executive Director, Resolve Solutions Inc., Alexandria, VA
- Jean Paul Laurent, Founder and CEO, Unspoken Smiles, New York, NY
- Catherine Liao, Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer, CONNEQT Health, San Francisco, CA
- Keri Lowry, Former Chief of Staff, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Washington, D.C.
- Brent Maddin, Executive Director, Next Education Workforce Initiative, Arizona State University, Albuquerque, NM
- Petrea Moyle Marchand, Founder and President, Consero Solutions, Davis, CA
- Dominique McCain, President and CEO, Educational First Steps, Grand Prairie, TX
- Elizabeth McLaughlin, Founder and CEO, Red Wagon Group, Fayetteville, AR
- Amir Mian, Professor of Pediatrics, Division Chief Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Dell Children’s Medical Center, Round Rock, TX
- Tahina Montoya, Defense and Policy Researcher, RAND, Falls Church, VA
- Sally Nnamani, Chief Partnerships and External Officer, PeacePlayers International, Brooklyn, NY
- Stephen Patrick, O. Wayne Rollins Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins Schools of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
- Jacob Peters, Executive Director, Bayou District Foundation, New Orleans, LA
- Mikhail Prudnikov, Founder, Equitera Institute, Boston, MA
- Madeline Reedy, Chief Program Officer, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Dallas, TX
- Mitch Robinson, Senior Counsel, Seyfarth Shaw, LLP., Decatur, GA
- Analiz Rodriguez, Neurosurgeon, Director of Neurosurgical Oncology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
- Billy Rosa, Assistant Attending Behavioral Scientist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Janie Salazar, Chief Operating Officer, Morningside Analytics LLC, Fort Worth, TX
- Diane Santa Maria, Dean, Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Cizik School of Nursing, Houston, TX
- Yaron Schwartz, Director for the United States, Tent Partnership for Refugees, New York, NY
- Andrew Scott, Vice President, Capital One, Washington, D.C.
- Justine Scott, Executive Director, Amplifying Voices Everyday, INC, Sunrise, FL
- David Sopczak, Principal ProServe Cloud Architect, Amazon Web Services, Dayton, OH
- Seth Summerside, CEO, Keo Fish Farms, Inc., Little Rock, AR
- Jessica Thorne, Vice President, Government Partnerships, DonorsChoose, Colorado Springs, CO
- Elizabeth Troutman, Partner, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro, NC
- Meredith West, Majority Staff Director, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Alexandria, VA
- Caroline Whistler, CEO and Co-Founder, Third Sector, San Francisco, CA
- Hamada Zahawi, Managing Partner, Veritas Global Advisors LLC, Santa Monica, CA
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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.