Welcome Remarks for How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers

September 24, 2020

Greetings from the National Archives. I’m David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, and it's my pleasure to welcome you to today’s conversation with David M. Rubenstein about his new book How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers.

For the past five years, David has spoken with the world’s highest performing leaders about who they are and how they became successful. How to Lead distills these revealing conversations into an indispensable leadership guidebook

David Rubenstein is a true friend of the National Archives and knows the importance of making the documents of the government available to the public so that all Americans know their rights, responsibilities, and shared history. His personal copy of the Magna Carta is the anchor of our Records of Rights exhibit housed in the David M. Rubenstein Gallery. In 2011, he received the National Archives Foundation's Records of Achievement award for giving countless Americans the opportunity to learn about our country through documents.

David has been very gracious in his support of the National Archives. In addition to supporting the David M. Rubenstein Gallery, he has hosted or co-hosted over 20 private events at the Archives and has motivated others to do the same. His generosity has inspired many others to support the work of the Archives, and for that, we are grateful.

David M. Rubenstein is a co-founder and co-executive chairman of the Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest and most successful private equity firms. He is Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of the Giving Pledge and a recipient of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy and the MoMA's David Rockefeller Award, among other philanthropic awards. The host of The David Rubenstein Show on Bloomberg TV and PBS, he lives in the Washington, DC, area.

And our moderator for today’s conversation is Michael Beschloss, an award-winning historian, bestselling author, and Emmy winner. His newest book is Presidents of War, which tells the story of the American Presidents who have waged our major wars. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Archives Foundation, a trustee of the White House Historical Association, and former trustee of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Before we turn to David and Michael, I’d like to let you know about another program coming up on Wednesday, September 30, at noon. NPR’s Pam Fessler will be with us to talk about her recently published book Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice. The book relates the little-known story of the only leprosy colony in the continental United States, and the thousands of Americans who were exiled and hidden away with their “shameful” disease. I hope you will join us next Wednesday.

Now I’ll turn you over to David M. Rubenstein and Michael Beschloss. Thank you for joining us today.