Natalie Gonnella-Platts, The George W. Bush Institute

“In seeking a more prosperous future, we must all fully commit to uprooting and eliminating the archaic gender discrimination levied against women and girls.”
Natalie Gonnella-Platts

Natalie Gonnella-Platts, Director of Women’s Initiatives for The George W. Bush Institute, shared the story behind her title with us on Saturday, June 5th and Sunday, June 6th 2021!

Natalie is responsible for research and programmatic efforts that support women and girls worldwide to lead in their communities and countries. This includes the work of the First Ladies Initiative, which aims to enable and support global First Ladies in effectively using their platforms to impact change.

Additionally, she is the host of the Bush Institute’s award nominated podcast, Ladies, First; the co-author of a first-of-its kind analysis on global first ladies, A Role Without a Rulebook; and served as a project lead on the development of the Bush Institute’s 2018 and 2019 special exhibits. Her work has also been published or featured across a wide range of external outlets including the New York Times, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The Dallas Morning News, Real Clear World, Politico, Bustle, Refinery 29, among others.

SUE SAYS

We often explore our ancestry to learn where some of our own traits come from. When Natalie looks at her family tree, she can easily see leadership qualities in both her Grandmother, the founder of a candy store in 1946 and her own mother who was a nurse and always instilled in her children the importance of helping others. She now has the opportunity to do just that through her work with The George W Bush Institute.