Last Friday, I stepped down as president of the Bush Foundation.  I have loved my four plus years leading the organization through its transformation. The Foundation's Board has courageously committed the organization to being accountable for making a difference—for producing concrete results—on three of the toughest, and most important issues that face our communities. ... more

I recently testified before the Minnesota House of Representative’s State Government Finance Committee’s hearing about the results from Local Government Innovation Forums hosted recently by the Foundation that gave courageous local government leaders an opportunity to talk about redesign. Here’s part of what I said. ... more

What if we could make a grant and because of the outcomes it helped generate we could get paid back? In other words what if we could make a grant that would actually be an investment with a ROI? Impact investing could allow just that.   ... more

I recently had the opportunity to meet President Obama when he was in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.  As you can imagine, I was a little nervous; this sort of opportunity doesn’t come along very often, and I was determined to use my short time with him to say something meaningful.  ... more

Recently I’ve heard a number of elected officials say that a compromise is a solution that nobody likes. I’ve heard this about the federal debt limit debate, and before that I heard the same thing about the government shutdown in Minnesota. Everyone said they hated what they just voted for – a compromise.

Are they kidding? By this definition a compromise means that everybody loses. They cannot be serious. If that is the definition of compromise, it is no wonder that people are increasingly voting for people who say it is something they will not do. ... more

“Great are the problems of our nation. Absent, I think, are great voices of leadership motivating us to act intelligently and in the spirit of individual sacrifice for the common good.

“But for all of the confusion and the uncertainty and the absence of clarion voices, one thing seems clear to me: that public education is the great equalizer of life’s chances, the balance wheel of the social machinery.” ... more

By coincidence, I was in New York City this past week when the governor and lawmakers agreed to legislation making the legal institution of marriage (as opposed to the religious institution) available to all the state’s citizens. Then on Saturday I found myself on Fifth Avenue watching what must be the largest gay pride march in the country. It was loud, of course; that was no surprise. What surprised me was who was marching. ... more

When we set off in a new direction in 2007, the Foundation had already invested more than $800 million and nearly 55 year in building the capacity of individuals and communities to act courageously to improve our shared future.  We knew that, going forward, those leaders would be important partners in tackling the two specific tough problems on which we are focused - increasing educational achievement and supporting the self-determination of Native nations - and in continuing to build the capacity of communities and individuals to act courageously to solve problems. ... more

Until a few weeks ago, I had never been to Pine Ridge. I will be going back. The Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota is the home of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. It is a place of contrasts. It is a place that makes you think. ... more

In late April, I met with over 100 Bush Fellows who had gathered to work toward answering the question “What more can we do, working together, to make a bigger difference?”

In 2008, our Board began serious, focused work on this same question. Out of two years of exploration has come our mission: To be a catalyst for the courageous leadership necessary to create sustainable solutions to tough public problems and ensure community vitality. The link between courageous leadership, sustainable solutions and community vitality is at the essence of the difference we want to make. ... more