James Rosebush is an author and speaker who simultaneously served as former Deputy Assistant to Ronald Reagan, Chief of Staff to Nancy Reagan, and Senior White House Advisor. He was the only White House office staff ever to hold all three positions at once. [1] [2]
Rosebush is a native of Flint, Michigan. His mother, Jacqueline Rosebush, was a homemaker, and his father, Kenneth Rosebush, was a General Motors executive and Dale Carnegie instructor. At age 20 Rosebush was cited as an Outstanding Young Man in America and selected as a Rotary International Scholar, where he traveled to the Soviet Union to meet with high ranking government officials and tutor Russians in English. He later earned an MA degree in Public Affairs from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Principia College. [3]
Entering the White House at age 32 in 1981, Rosebush served as the deputy assistant to Ronald Reagan, where he had daily one-on-one access to the President. He was also the President's point-person when it came to philanthropy and Public-private partnerships. During his tenure he managed the President's domestic policy program Private Sector Initiatives, he was appointed to become US Ambassador to UNESCO, and he negotiated with Russian officials for the historic bi-lateral meeting between Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. He was also invited by the Austrian Government to tour Austria as a Goodwill ambassador. [4]
In addition to his role as advisor to the President, Rosebush simultaneously served as Chief of Staff to First Lady Reagan, making him the only White House staffer to ever hold both positions at the same time. In his latter role he managed Mrs. Reagan's official activities including press and media, scheduling, projects and policy, as well as overseeing the "Just Say No" drug campaign she spearheaded in 1982. Rosebush was the longest-serving Chief of Staff to Nancy Reagan. He left the White House in 1986. [5]
After leaving the White House, Rosebush founded the international advisory firm GrowthStrategy, Inc, which builds and grows corporate, family office, and philanthropic organizations. He also serves as an advisor to individual families on wealth management. In 2018 he launched Intersection Impact Fund, focusing on impact investing and philanthropy, and he lectures and appears on news programs and podcasts sharing stories about the Reagan White House and how to be an impactful public speaker. [6]
Rosebush has written three books. Published in 1988, First Lady, Public Wife was the first book to explore the role of the First Lady as a demanding and rigorous job. Published in 2016 by Hachette Book Group, True Reagan: What Made Ronald Reagan Great and Why It Matters is a first-hand account of what made Reagan tick. In 2020 also by Hachette, Winning Your Audience: Deliver a Message with the Confidence of a President shows readers how they can give their own President-caliber presentations. [7] [8]
Rosebush served as the president of the Fairfax County Education Foundation, Chief Executive of the Howe School, and President of the Urban Monuments Foundation. He has served on the Board of The Phillips Collection, where he originated the Duncan Phillips Collectors Medal awarded to Leonard Lauder and David Rockefeller. He was director of corporate contributions for The Standard Oil Company, founding vice president for the National Chamber Foundation, and held management positions with the New England Association of Grantmakers and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. He was also appointed to the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship at Princeton University. He has lectured and taught as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and George Washington University on corporate public issues and the history of philanthropy. [9]
Rosebush resides in the Washington, DC area. He has been married to the former Nancy Paull since 1974, has two grown daughters, and six grandchildren. [10] [11]
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True Reagan: What Made Ronald Reagan Great and Why It Matters is a 2016 book by James Rosebush, the former advisor to Ronald Reagan and Chief of Staff to Nancy Reagan. It offers a first-hand perspective on the President's personality, his decision-making, and his renowned guarded nature.