Clinton Presidential Center Presents Discover, Collaborate, Take Action: The Impact of Presidential Leadership Scholars
Join us on Thursday, July 25 at 6 p.m. CT, when the Clinton Presidential Center Presents “Discover, Collaborate, Take Action: The Impact of Presidential Leadership Scholars.” A dynamic panel of PLS Alumni will discuss how the program expanded their abilities to make a difference in the world.
Presidential Leadership Scholars is a bipartisan program that brings together bold and principled leaders who are committed to facing critical challenges, both at home and around the world, and who are interested in exploring lessons learned during the administrations of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Register here to attend the program in person at the Clinton Presidential Center or to tune in live online.
In 2004, President Bill Clinton welcomed the world into the Clinton Presidential Center for the first time. In the 20 years since then, more than five million people have visited the Clinton Center to explore President Clinton’s legacy, participate in educational programming, and experience our diverse array of public programs. Throughout 2024, we’re celebrating 20 years of milestones and memories and highlighting the impact of Clinton Center programs and partnerships like the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.
Since PLS launched in 2015, more than 500 Scholars have honed their leadership abilities and gained the skills necessary to work across differences and develop a diverse network that spans traditional geographic, professional, political, and economic boundaries. The program will celebrate its 10-year anniversary throughout the 2025 program year. Applications to join the PLS Class of 2025 are open through July 14, 2024, at www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org/apply.
ASL interpretation is available during our events.
The panel will include three Scholars who are part of the program’s robust and engaged alumni network:
Katherine Pickus, Class of 2023, is the Vice President of Sustainability and Global Impact at Tyson Foods where she is responsible for designing and implementing a long-term ESG strategy and shaping the direction of the company’s sustainability initiatives. Prior to joining Tyson Foods, Pickus served as the Vice President of Global Sustainability for Griffith Foods. She joined Griffith Foods following nearly 15 years as Divisional Vice President of Sustainability at Abbott. She also served as Vice President of the Abbott Fund, the company’s foundation. Pickus’ career includes time with the U.S. Department of State to advance democratic institution-building programs worldwide; an elected position with the United Nations as election monitor in the Republic of South Africa; and Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to the Vice President of the United States, with a specific focus on U.S. relations in sub-Saharan Africa. She served as a member of the Executive Council on Development at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, D.C. She is also a member of the US-Afghan Women’s Council and Women in Global Development Committee of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Jamie Scott, Class of 2017, is the executive director for Pulaski County Youth Services, a small business owner, philanthropist, a North Little Rock native, and a State Representative for Arkansas House District 72. Jamie grew up in a family at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in North Little Rock. Her uncle, Richard Lindsey, was a member of the NLR Six who attempted to integrate North Little Rock High School and she has dedicated her career to public service and to fighting for equal rights and fair opportunities for all. Previously she dedicated five years as Director of Upward Bound Programs at an HBCU. As the youngest African American female elected to the Arkansas State House and State Senate, Rep. Scott is a 2019 40 under 40 honoree and Little Rock Soiree 2020 Woman to Watch. Rep. Scott is the 2021 recipient of the Council of State Governments 20 under 40 National Legislative Leadership Award, Arkansas Education Association Human and Civil Rights Special Achievement Award, and Millennial Action Project’s Rising Star Award for supporting and advocating for important issues related to taxes, infrastructure, and healthcare.
Alison Williams, Class of 2020, is the founder of willco consulting. She served as chief of staff to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson from 2016 to 2023, where she supported his transformational vision for the state and during his term as Chairman of the National Governors’ Association. Before returning to Arkansas, Williams worked in the public and private sectors for more than a decade in the Washington, DC, area. As a civil servant, she served in the U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Defense. In the private sector, she consulted with boutique and Fortune 100 companies. Early in her career, she worked with former Congressmen Asa Hutchinson and John Boozman. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
Dr. Mike Hemphill, Director of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program and the Clinton Foundation’s Director of Leadership Development, will moderate the panel.
Clinton Presidential Center Presents is a partnership between the Clinton Foundation, Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, and Clinton Presidential Library.