I'm The White House Historical Association was founded in 1961 with the task of preserving the history of and enhancing the understanding and appreciation of the White House.

I remember once hearing a friend of mine, an immigrant, describing the White House as America's

great symbol of democracy. And I can imagine that it's no easy thing to preserve and steward

the history of such an iconic and important place. Well, our guest today is the president of the

White House Historical Association. His name is Stuart McLaren, and he has held this position for a

decade now. And we're pleased to have him on our podcast. So thanks for being on our show.

Well, it's an honor to be here. Thank you for inviting me. So tell us a little bit about

your journey. How did you end up becoming president of the White House Historical Association?

Well, it's quite an honor and a privilege to hold this position. My predecessor had been in the

role for 22 years. So it's not something that came up that often. I first came to Washington in the mid-80s and was involved in the Reagan presidency and the Bush 41 presidency.

But since then, I have not been in the government or active in that side of the equation.

My career has gravitated more to the historical context of our institutions, our country,

who we are as a people, who we are as citizens. And that is where I have found my fulfillment in

various nonprofit higher ed roles here in Washington. My role came about specifically through a search firm, which is a very common process here in Washington. My role came about specifically through a search firm, which is very common

process here in Washington or anywhere, and I was honored to be selected by the Board of Directors

for this position. We are a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization. We do not accept any government

funding. So as a private organization, it was up to the board of directors to make this hire.

And they're the group that I report to and am accountable to in our everyday work.

So I noticed in your background that you used to work at the Mount Vernon estate, George Washington's home.

And I used to work there, too, actually, from

what was it, 2013 to 2014. I was a lowly historic interpreter, basically a tour guide. But what

role did you play there? And when were you there? Well, those interpreter roles are really

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