{"id":228732,"date":"2025-04-23T07:01:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T11:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=228732"},"modified":"2025-04-22T11:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T15:23:13","slug":"from-uconn-to-the-white-house-a-conversation-with-anita-mcbride-81-clas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/04\/from-uconn-to-the-white-house-a-conversation-with-anita-mcbride-81-clas\/","title":{"rendered":"From UConn to the White House: A Conversation with Anita McBride \u201981 (CLAS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anita McBride \u201981 (CLAS) has spent decades working alongside some of the most influential women in American government: the first ladies who shaped national conversations both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.<\/em><\/p>\n

This spring, McBride returned to UConn to share what she\u2019s learned with students in the College\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Collective<\/a> and First-Generation Mentorship Program<\/a>, offering candid reflections on leadership, resilience, and public service.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnita McBride\u2019s career reflects the many directions a UConn education can take you,\u201d says Ofer Harel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. \u201cHer visit gave students a valuable opportunity to hear how mentorship and public service have shaped her path \u2014 and how they might shape their own.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A veteran of three presidential administrations, McBride held senior roles under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. As chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, she directed initiatives in global health, education, literacy, women\u2019s empowerment, and historic preservation, and led diplomatic travel to 67 countries.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, she serves as executive-in-residence at American University\u2019s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, where she leads the First Ladies Initiative<\/a>. She is also a founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education and sits on the board of the White House Historical Association.<\/em><\/p>\n

McBride is the co-author of the first-ever textbook on first ladies, \u201cU.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies\u201d; its public-market adaptation, \u201cRemember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America\u2019s History-Making Women\u201d; and a recent children\u2019s book she co-wrote with her daughter, \u201cFirst Ladies Make History.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnita\u2019s keynote brought lived experience, insight, and a sense of purpose that resonated with everyone in the room,\u201d says Jessica Alexander, associate director of alumni relations for CLAS. \u201cOur mentorship programs create meaningful connections between students and alumni.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

UConn Today caught up with McBride to discuss her path from UConn to the White House, and what she\u2019s learned from a career at the highest levels of American government.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What advice do you have for first-generation students navigating college life and what comes after?<\/h2>\n

There is no one path \u2014 It’s constantly changing and moving. You need to be open to changes.<\/p>\n

I came to UConn knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I was pre-med \u2014 until I failed. It was the first time I’d been hit with failure. I went to meet with an advisor, and while I was there, I saw a sign for a new study abroad program in Italy. I grew up in an Italian immigrant household, so I figured this might be a way for me to reset my academic path and also see where my family came from. I applied and was accepted.<\/p>\n

It was the most transformative experience of my life on so many levels. I just gained so much confidence. I’m a big believer in fate, so walking into that building that day and seeing that sign, something about it felt so familiar.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s scary to make a real pivot like that \u2014 and it wasn\u2019t the last one I\u2019ve made. When you go into politics, you never know what\u2019s coming from one day to the next. The person you work for can win or lose. You\u2019re in, you\u2019re out. There\u2019s a lot to navigate. What got me through all those changes was the belief that there\u2019s always a new opportunity.<\/p>\n

How did UConn prepare you for success?<\/h2>\n

UConn helped me navigate some turns, pivots, and challenges. It was a formative time for me. I built friendships that I still hold close today. It gave me a platform to make choices and changes, and I\u2019ve always appreciated that.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never really left my experience at UConn behind \u2014 I\u2019ve just carried it with me and have used it in different ways throughout my life.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re considered one of the foremost experts on U.S. first ladies. How did you become interested in this subject?<\/h2>\n

I had a front-row seat to history, watching this position up close in three administrations, with Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and Laura Bush. It’s a powerful platform, despite having no official authority, position description, salary, or mention in the Constitution. I really appreciated the impact they could have, and that they\u2019re not required to do anything with the role if they choose not to.<\/p>\n

After I left the White House, the president of American University met with me and expressed interest in developing a program to study the growing influence of first ladies. That conversation led me to launch a conference series on the legacies of first ladies that eventually grew into an established academic initiative at American University. It covers their influence not only on the president, but on the presidency and the White House in general.<\/p>\n

Who, in your opinion, is the most influential first lady?<\/h2>\n

Eleanor Roosevelt, bar none. She held the role for 12 years \u2014 longer than anyone else \u2014 and came in highly educated, politically active, and already in the public eye. She gave paid speeches, had a radio show, and wrote a daily newspaper column before becoming First Lady.<\/p>\n

Her husband didn\u2019t want her to have a public role, but she pushed back. She held press conferences for female reporters, who were excluded from the president\u2019s briefings, and gave them a platform during a critical time for women in journalism.<\/p>\n

She also took controversial stances, especially on civil and human rights. When the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let [renowned Black opera singer] Marian Anderson perform at Constitution Hall<\/a>, Roosevelt not only resigned from the group, but she also helped arrange Anderson\u2019s now-historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial.<\/p>\n

These were bold steps. She didn\u2019t get everything right and was controversial, but she set a standard for activism that went unmatched for a long time.<\/p>\n

What inspired you to write a children\u2019s book, and what do you hope young readers will take away from it?<\/h2>\n

The children\u2019s book grew out of my academic work. I initially set out to fill a gap in the literature with a textbook, highlighting the contributions of first ladies \u2014 often unsung and underappreciated.<\/p>\n

Turning it into a children\u2019s book was an exciting new challenge, especially because I did it with my daughter, who is studying to be an elementary school teacher. She had her own front-row seat to history \u2014 watching me work and having some exposure to the White House. Together, we adapted the stories from my book for children and worked with an illustrator. I brought the content, and she helped shape it for a young audience.<\/p>\n

For me, this book is about civic education. If we want people to truly understand and care about our history, we have to start at an earlier age. As divided as we are right now, I still believe this is one of the best systems of government \u2014 and it\u2019s up to all of us to be part of it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve served several presidential administrations. What\u2019s one thing that sticks with you about that experience?<\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve met a lot of people in politics with different views. But one of the most lasting lessons I learned came from Laura Bush, the First Lady to former President George W. Bush, who served from 2001 to 2009 during a very turbulent time. Those eight years included two wars, the Sept. 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the economic collapse. Her husband faced a lot of criticism, and I\u2019d often ask her how she handled it.<\/p>\n

She never took the political bait. She kept things calm and steady, no matter the pressure. If she was disappointed, you could tell \u2014 but she expressed it with quiet resolve, she used her voice but didn\u2019t raise her voice.<\/p>\n

What she taught me was this: In public service, you can\u2019t take criticism personally. She would say, \u201cI know who George is. We know who we are as a family. That\u2019s what gets us through.\u201d That mindset has stayed with me. In politics, you have to realize that not everyone will agree with you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a challenging time, both economically and politically. What advice do you have for students on how to succeed through the challenges?<\/h2>\n

Be respectful of other people’s opinions. Try and not respond in a way that’s adversarial, even if that\u2019s what you see all around you. You don’t have to be that person.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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