Cullum Clark serves as Director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative and is an Adjunct Professor of Economics at SMU. He leads the Bush Institute’s work on domestic economic policy and economic growth and recently released a report on how education and medical institutions can become more powerful drivers of prosperity in America’s cities.

Cullum joined host Andrew Kaufmann for an engaging conversation about his report, the importance of economic growth in all areas of Dallas, the impact his mother and Dallas legend Lee Cullum has had on his work, and why he’s hopeful about the future of our country.

Hear more from Cullum on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Penelope Muse Abernathy is a visiting professor at Northwestern University and a former senior executive at The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. She specializes in researching local journalism and is the author of two books and five reports, including The State of Local News.

She joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Bill McKenzie to discuss news deserts, the importance of quality journalism, and why local reporting is essential to our democracy.

Hear more from Penny on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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Pashtana Durrani is an Afghan feminist, activist, and educator. She founded Afghanistan’s first-ever digital school network, LEARN Afghanistan, and is still providing education for hundreds of girls in the country today despite being exiled after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

Pashtana joined host Andrew Kaufmann and the Bush Institute’s Natalie Gonnella-Platts at the 2024 Forum on Leadership to discuss her work educating Afghan girls, her experience escaping the country after the Taliban takeover, and her hope for the future of Afghanistan.

Hear more from Pashtana on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

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