Presidential Leadership Scholars: Bringing Home to Indiana a Renewed Commitment to Leadership, Responsibility and Citizenship

Lauren James is Executive Director of the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation and a Fulbright Scholar who recently completed the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, a national leadership initiative of the presidential centers of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Six months ago, I walked into the National Archives alongside 57 strangers from across the country.

We came from different professions, communities, ideologies and life experiences, united by a shared commitment to service and the common good.

As I reflect on the experience now, I leave with much more than new knowledge, new frameworks or extraordinary access to presidents, policymakers, historians and practitioners. I leave with a renewed conviction that true leadership creates the conditions for others to thrive, citizenship is an active responsibility and democracy flourishes when people engage one another with curiosity, courage and respect.

Most importantly, I return with a deeper understanding of what Indiana needs in this moment and what I hope to contribute through the Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation.

The Gift I Never Knew I Needed

When I applied to PLS, I was longing for two things: a chance to step outside the Indiana context that has shaped much of my journey and learn alongside people from across the country, and an opportunity to experience the kind of community we strive to build every day through MDLF.

Beneath both motivations was a deeper desire to become a better steward of a mission I care deeply about. Through MDLF, I have the privilege of helping build an institution that invests in people across generations. In many ways, it feels like the closest I may come to leading our own version of a presidential library. I came to PLS to learn how enduring institutions are built, how principles are carried forward across generations and how people inspire others to become stewards of those same values.

It exceeded every expectation.

For the first time since becoming an inaugural MDLF Fellow in 2016, I found myself immersed in a community where titles faded and purpose took center stage. Over 24 days together, we shared stories of challenge, service and hope while learning as much from one another as we did from the curriculum.

Three ideas surfaced again and again throughout the experience: leadership begins with character, our highest calling is helping others thrive and hope is one of the most powerful catalysts for progress.

Most of all, my classmates showed me America at its best. They are bridge-builders, public servants, entrepreneurs, educators, veterans and problem-solvers strengthening their communities every day. They reminded me that principled citizenship and service remain among our nation's greatest strengths.

What I'm Bringing Home to Indiana

As part of the PLS application, I proposed a Personal Leadership Project focused on strengthening civic participation, responsible citizenship and constructive dialogue in Indiana.

Over the past six months, that vision became both clearer and more actionable.

PLS strengthened a conviction I've held throughout my career: democracy is a team sport. Strong communities emerge when people understand their role, engage across differences and contribute their talents in service to the common good.

That conviction is now taking shape through MDLF's effort to renew Indiana's civic spirit by helping people better understand our institutions, engage across differences and translate civic learning into meaningful action.

Most encouragingly, this work is already underway. Over the past six months, we've engaged national and Indiana-based civic partners, integrated civic learning into our Fellowship curriculum, secured pilot funding, expanded partnerships and begun bringing national voices and proven models to Indiana.

As we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, my hope is not simply to expand civic programming, but to help cultivate a generation of principled citizens who understand liberty, free markets and constitutional self-government, appreciate the tradeoffs inherent in each, build coalitions across differences and strengthen their communities through informed, responsible action.

The Investment Returned Tenfold

Before arriving in Washington in January, I made a commitment to fully embrace the opportunity.

I sought out conversations, followed classmates' work, engaged with their projects and looked for opportunities to learn from their experiences. Those shared meals, shuttle rides and intentional conversations often became the richest classroom of all.

That investment returned tenfold.

Over six months, I had the privilege of studying five distinct presidential legacies and the lessons they offer for our time:

• Out of Many, One: Lessons in Leadership and Responsibility (Washington, D.C.) 

• Focus, Optimism and Forward Motion (Clinton Presidential Center)

• Decision Making: Resolve, Preparation and the Responsibility of Leadership (George W. Bush Presidential Center)

• A Full-Sensory Experience in Leadership (LBJ Presidential Library & Ranch)

• Fidelity: The Leadership Legacy of George H.W. Bush (George H.W. Bush Presidential Library)

Yet one of the greatest gifts was watching 57 classmates interpret those lessons through the lens of their own communities and experiences. Those conversations were every bit as impactful as the curriculum itself.

I left with deeper friendships, renewed optimism and tremendous confidence in the future and the extraordinary people working every day to strengthen their communities.

Gratitude

This experience was made possible by an extraordinary community of people.

To the PLS team, presidential centers, faculty and donors: thank you for building one of the premier leadership experiences in the country. I still remember lying awake after our first evening trying to comprehend the vision and intentionality required to create something of this caliber. Eleven classes and more than 650 alumni later, its impact is unmistakable.

To my classmates: thank you for your friendship, generosity, encouragement and curiosity. The conversations between sessions, late-night and early morning moments, the notes of encouragement and the support surrounding our Personal Leadership Projects created a sense of belonging that made this experience unforgettable.

To my family: thank you for making space for this journey, sharing in the excitement of each module and encouraging me every step of the way.

To the MDLF team: thank you for giving me the opportunity to step away, learn and return each month to colleagues eager to challenge my thinking, explore new ideas and help translate those lessons into meaningful action for Indiana.

PLS reminded me that leadership is a lifelong commitment to learning, growing and serving. As our final module concluded in Philadelphia, standing in Independence Hall on the precipice of our nation's Semiquincentennial, I was reminded that the American experiment is never complete. Every generation is entrusted with renewing it by understanding the principles on which it was founded, embracing the responsibilities of citizenship and choosing participation over complacency.

I return to Indiana with deeper conviction, renewed optimism and profound gratitude for the people who shaped this journey. The opportunity before us is not simply to develop more leaders, but to cultivate more informed, engaged and responsible citizens. If democracy is truly a team sport, then our responsibility is clear: equip more people to get on the field, contribute their talents and strengthen their communities, ensuring the next 250 years are even stronger than the first.