Gleaves Whitney
Executive Director, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Gleaves Whitney began his role as executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation on September 1, 2020. He is the fourth person to lead the Foundation as it fosters increased awareness of the life, career, values, and legacy of America’s 38th President. “Gleaves has a strong background developing successful collaborations and partnerships, which will be beneficial for the Foundation’s relationships with the National Archives and Records Administration, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and Library, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, as well as Grand Rapids community and nationwide entities,” said Foundation Chair Mike Ford, son of President Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford. Gleaves Whitney was the director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies from 2003 until his selection as the Foundation’s Executive Director. Receiving a National Endowment for the Humanities grant in 2012, he established the first sustained and comprehensive common ground initiative in U.S. higher education. Since 2015 he has worked with his colleague Jon Lauck to revive Midwestern history as an academic discipline; together they have hosted six major conferences and edited four books. In addition, Gleaves launched the first presidential Q&A column in the nation, Ask Gleaves, in which he fielded questions from political junkies around the world. Under his direction, the Hauenstein Center’s Cook Leadership Academy has become a premiere center for leadership excellence. The fellow candidates have met with four U.S. Presidents, three First Ladies, two Vice Presidents, four Secretaries of State, one U.N. ambassador, more than one dozen state governors, and a host of business and non-profit entrepreneurs. For more about Gleaves’s work with Ralph Hauenstein, click here. “Gleaves Whitney is a real treasure for those of us who do presidential studies and work in the field of presidential history,” said award-winning biographer H. W. Brands. “He’s also one of the most effective entrepreneurs in the business of higher education. You can tell this by the growth of the Hauenstein Center over the years that he’s been the director.” Noted historian Richard Norton Smith said that “Gleaves Whitney and his energetic team at the Hauenstein Center have become, in a remarkably short time, a force to reckon with — and learn from — in the presidential studies field. The Hauenstein Center is a jewel in the crown of Michigan.” Prior to directing the Hauenstein Center, Gleaves served for eleven and one-half years in Michigan Governor John Engler’s administration as (seriatim) senior writer, chief speechwriter, and historian. During that time, he assisted in the creation of Michigan’s Department of History, Arts, and Libraries. Gleaves was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa) and inducted in the College of Fellows in 2006 at the Graduate Theological Union’s Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California. He earned an MA in history and is ABD toward the PhD at the University of Michigan. For more about his doctoral work at Michigan, click here. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado State University.


Rachel Siglow
Deputy Director, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Rachel Siglow is the deputy director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. She received her bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College and her master’s degree from Grand Valley State University. Ms. Siglow is the former executive assistant to three presidents of Grand Valley State University. She is the past president of the Junior League of Grand Rapids, serving on the board of directors for six years. She assisted the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation with the funerals of both President Ford in 2006 and First Lady Betty Bloomer Ford in 2011. Ms. Siglow is the former executive and personal assistant to Michigan’s former Governor John Engler and was appointed staff liaison to the Michigan-Shiga (Japan) Sister State program.

 

 

 


Jeff Polet
Director, Ford Leadership Forum
Jeff Polet is Director of the Ford Leadership Forum at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. Previously he was a Professor of Political Science at Hope College, and before that at Malone College in Canton, OH. A native of West Michigan, he received his BA from Calvin College and his MA and Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC.
In addition to his teaching, he has published on a wide range of scholarly and popular topics. These include Contemporary European Political Thought, American Political Thought, the American Founding, education theory and policy, constitutional law, religion and politics, virtue theory, and other topics. His work has appeared in many scholarly journals as well as more popular venues such as The Hill, the Spectator, The American Conservative, First Things, and others.
He serves on the board of The Front Porch Republic, an organization dedicated to the idea that human flourishing happens best in local communities and in face-to-face relationships. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. He has lectured at many schools and civic institutions across the country. He is married, and he and his wife enjoy the occasional company of their three adult children.

Don Cooper
Director of Civic Initiatives

Don Cooper is the Director of Civic Initiatives at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation since July 2023. In that capacity he leads the civic and educational programs at the DeVos Learning Center (“DVLC”). These programs inspire a rising generation of Americans to active citizenship through initiatives that are rooted in our shared democratic values and exemplified by the lives of the President and Mrs. Ford.

Don brings 20 years’ experience in educational leadership and policy to the DVLC, and a passion for achieving great results for kids. His work has primarily focused on system-level change that empowers parents with more and better choices. His professional experience is diverse. It ranges from serving as an education policy advisor in the Michigan House of Representatives to senior-level public and government affairs positions for leading charter school organizations.

Don currently serves on the boards of directors of the Michigan History Foundation and the Greater Lansing Sports Fund, and on the board of advisors for the National Charter Schools Founders Library.

Don received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Hillsdale College and a Master of Public Administration from Central Michigan University. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Political Science at Wayne State University.


Martin “Marty” J. Allen, Jr.
Chairman Emeritus, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation Foundation Trustee since 1981 Served as Foundation Chairman from 1985-2005

Marty Allen graduated from the University of Notre Dame and was the head student manager of the football team his senior year. Following graduation, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Following graduation from Notre Dame, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and retired as a Lieutenant Commander. Marty earned a MBA from Michigan State University and has received honorary doctoral degrees from Aquinas College and Grand Valley State University. Marty was successful in banking, retiring as Executive Vice President from Old Kent Bank & Trust. He has continued his commitment of service to the Grand Rapids community throughout the years, including helping to co-found the first-ever Old Kent River Bank Run, currently the largest 25K race in the country. He was a life-long friend of Gerald and Betty Ford and served as an Honorary Pallbearer at Gerald R. Ford’s State Funeral.

 


Amy Wilcox
Executive Assistant and Office Manager, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Amy Wilcox is the Ford Presidential Foundation’s executive assistant and office manager. A lifelong resident of West Michigan, she is an avid student of American history and brings to the Foundation years of experience helping run for-profit and non-profit enterprises. Amy is passionate about education and for years has been part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Aquinas College. With her husband and three children she loves to travel, read, tour museums, and visit historic sites.

 

 

 


Abigail “Abby” Vander Vliet
Donor Analyst and Executive Assistant, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Abby is the donor analyst and executive assistant for the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and Political Science from Hope College. Abby brings experience from West Michigan for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Her work at the Foundation includes donor outreach, program development, office management, and other administrative duties. She enjoys hiking, traveling, photography, reading, and spending time with her family and dogs. Her recent
adventures include hiking the Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu in Peru and hiking at Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona.

 

 

 


Reegan Zomer
Project Manager of the Ford Leadership Forum, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Reegan Zomer is the Project Manager for the Ford Leadership Forum, an initiative that launched in September of 2022. This Forum has three programmatic aims: leadership development, civic engagement, and community betterment. Reegan is helping to develop this program, along with also reaching out to students to increase engagement. She graduated from Davenport University with highest honors and received a Bachelor of Business degree. In her free time, she loves to hike, be on the water, and spend time with her friends and family.

 

 

 


W. Winston Elliott III
Senior Fellow, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

W. Winston Elliott III is the Founder and Publisher of The Imaginative Conservative, an online journal for those who seek the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. It addresses culture, liberal learning, politics, literature, and the arts. Additionally, he is President of the Free Enterprise Institute, which is dedicated to promoting the ideals of a free and virtuous society. The Institute teaches the principles of constitutional government, the Western intellectual tradition of the American founding, and an enduring moral order. He earned his Master of Arts in Liberal Arts (Western Classics) from St. John’s College and was awarded a Master of Business Administration, with Honors, from the University of HoustonHe is Visiting Professor of Liberal Arts in the Honors College of Houston Baptist University. Read W. Winston Elliott’s full biography

 

 


George Nash
Senior Fellow, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

George H. Nash is a Senior Fellow of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. Nash is also a Senior Fellow of the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. His acclaimed book The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 is not only the definitive history of postwar conservatism but also a landmark work of intellectual history. Although not mentioning Ford specifically, he helps the reader understand the intellectual background of Ford’s principled pragmatism and own brand of conservatism. Likewise, his writings on Herbert Hoover have helped reclaim the legacy of an oft-misunderstood President, one whose own career mirrored in some ways the challenges and successes of President Ford’s. 

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