The Strategerist

The next guest on The Strategerist is Chris Meek, co-founder of SoldierStrong, a nonprofit he created in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Chris is also a 2018 Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program scholar, and more recently, a filmmaker. He joined us to discuss what it was like being in New York on 9/11, how he leads SoldierStrong, and his documentary, 'The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11” hopes to transform “never forget” to “we remember.”

The Strategerist welcomed Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary. He was the primary spokesperson for President Bush and delivered the daily White House press briefings from 2001 to 2003. In his almost four years working for President Bush, Ari served as spokesperson during the historic presidential recount, September 11th, two wars, and the anthrax attack. He’s currently a best-selling author, president of his own firm, and Fox News Contributor.

Sara Armstrong has spent nearly 30 years operating at the highest levels of American government and leadership, from the East Wing to the boardroom. She began her career in the George W. Bush Administration, serving as a special assistant to the President and deputy chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and later as director of the White House Visitors Office. Today, Armstrong is vice president and managing director of Federation Relations and Coalition Partnerships at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Host Andrew Kaufmann sat down with Armstrong last year to discuss what she's learned behind the scenes in building coalitions across politics, business, and government.

The Strategerist recently hosted the 19th Chief Master Sergeant of the United States Air Force, JoAnne Bass. In 2020, she made history by becoming the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking enlisted leader in our military. She joined Strategerist host Andrew Kaufmann to discuss her career in service and service beyond the uniform.

On this episode of The Strategerist our guest is Rear Admiral John Kirby. He is currently the director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics after a long career in the military and then our government as a spokesperson and communications professional. He served in both the Obama and Biden administrations, as White House National Security Communications advisor, leading Pentagon communications, as well as serving in the Department of Defense and Department of State.