Anita McBride

Anita B. McBride is an internationally recognized expert on the legacies of American first ladies and operations of the White House. In 2024 she co-authored Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women, showcasing the evolving role of the first lady and its historical influence on the American presidency, politics, policy, and global diplomacy. She also co-authored a first-of-its-kind textbook, U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies (2023), filling a critical gap in academic literature on the study of first ladies and their accomplishments.  In 2024, she co-authored with her daughter a children’s book, First Ladies Make History, published by the White House Historical Association.

McBride serves as executive-in-residence at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, where she leads the First Ladies Initiative. She also serves as an advisor to the university’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics. She is a founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE), which promotes research and education about the lives, contributions, and lasting legacies of U.S. First Ladies.  She is a highly sought-after speaker and media commentator on first ladies, presidential transitions and White House operations and has appeared on all major network and cable news outlets and in national print media. She also has served as a consultant to HBO’s Emmy-award-winning series, Veep. McBride’s expertise on the White House and the influence of first ladies was acquired through her two decades of experience serving  in senior roles under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush in the White House and U.S. Department of State.  As Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush, she directed the first lady’s work on a wide range of global and domestic initiatives.  McBride has also focused on elevating the influence and impact of first ladies around the world. She co-founded the RAND African First Ladies Initiative and Fellowship program, now the Global First Ladies Alliance, partnering with first ladies to support their efforts as champions of change in their countries, as well as train their staff and advisors in strategies for managing an effective first lady’s office.

McBride is active in a number of organizations including as a board officer of the White House Historical Association promoting civic education and the understanding and appreciation of White House and presidential history. She is a member of the Committee of Scholars for the Smithsonian's American Women's History Museum; the International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network; and is Vice Chair of the National Italian American Foundation. She is a founding advisor of RightNow Women PAC to support Republican women running for federal elective office and is a member of the Government Affairs committee of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission (America 250), the congressional entity established to help plan the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Additionally, Anita serves on the Global Advisory Board to Libra Group, a global business group that includes 20 businesses focused on aerospace, renewable energy, maritime, real estate, hospitality, and diversified investments.

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