User:Heubusch/John heubusch

John Heubusch
John Heubusch (born June 7, 1958) is the Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. He has a career that has spanned politics, public service, philanthropy, and the Fortune 500.

Early Life
John Heubusch was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in McLean, Virgina, a suburb of Washington, D.C. The fifth of seven children, he is the second son of Norbert J. Heubusch and Cornelia J. Dwyer, both of whom were born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y.  Norbert Heubusch was an attorney who practiced in Arlington, Virginia, and Cornelia Dwyer was a speech therapist and audiologist who taught at the Galludet School for the deaf as well as the Fairfax County School system.

Education
Heubusch attended St. Johns Catholic Elementary School in McLean, Va and entered Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington, Va in 1972. Graduating with honors, Heubusch enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 1976 and graduated in 1980 with B.A. degrees in Political Science and English. While at Virginia Tech, he wrote a tongue-in-cheek award winning column for the University's newspaper, the Collegiate Times. Later, he received an M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University in 1988 while working on Capitol Hill.

Early Career
Unbeknowst to Heubusch, during his senior year one of his professors placed his name in nomination for a summer Washington Internship which he subsequently took. He was assigned as a speechwriter at the Pentagon in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Public Affairs. When his internship was complete, he was offered a position with the Office of Research and Analysis, Department of the Air Force, at the Pentagon. There. ..

Heubusch is the Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation located in Simi Valley, California. The Reagan Foundation is the sole nonprofit organization established by former President Reagan to carry on his legacy as the 40th President of the United States. With over $200 million in assets, it is the chief underwriter for the activities that occur at the Reagan Presidential Library including the Center for Public Affairs speaker series, the Annenberg Presidential Learning Center, the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center, and the Air Force One Pavillion.

As the Centennial of President Reagan's birth approaches (February 6, 2011), the Reagan Foundation has embarked on an ambitious agenda. A $100 million endowment campaign has been launched to ensure the Foundation will continue inperpetuity. The Reagan Museum, dedicated in 1991, will soon undergo a massive renovation and modernization and open it's doors during the Reagan Centennial in 2011. Planning is also underway for events to take place domestically and worldwide to honor President Reagan during his Centennial throughout 2011. The Centennial will be overseen by a bipartisan Centennial Commission recently created through passage of legislation in Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.

Prior to his current role, John served as the COO of Avalon Capital Group, Inc., a wholly owned private investment company with over $1 billion in assets and diverse interests in technology, energy, finance and entertainment. While at Avalon Capital, John also served as President of The Waitt Family Foundation where he oversaw the organization’s strategic direction and charitable programs. Under John’s stewardship, the Foundation--established in 1993 by Gateway computer company founder Ted Waitt – focused on the improvement of mankind’s knowledge through historical and scientific exploration. He also served as the president and oversaw the activities of two related non-profit organizations, the Waitt Institute for Historical Discovery and the Waitt Institute for Scientific Breakthroughs.

Before joining Avalon, John was the Chief Administrative Officer of Gateway, Inc., the Fortune 500 computer icon, responsible for managing its Strategy, Human Resources, Facilities, Legal and Government Relations departments. His first position with Gateway was Vice President for Government Relations where he opened an office for the company in Washington, DC. During that period (1997-1999), he also served as Chief of Staff to Chairman and CEO Ted Waitt.

Previous to his work with Gateway, John was the Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) during the 1995-1996 election cycle. Under John’s leadership, two more seats were added to the Republican column in the Senate, bringing the number to 55.

Prior to his appointment to the NRSC, he served Elizabeth Dole as the Vice President of Communications for the American Red Cross, one of the largest non-profit humanitarian organizations in the world, from 1991-1994. In this capacity, he was accountable for all internal and external communication activities for the organization, including advertising, media relations, and public affairs. He acted as the chief spokesman and coordinated press relations for President Dole.

During the Bush Administration, John was Chief of Staff to Secretary of Labor Elizabeth Dole from 1989 to 1991. At the Labor Department, John served as a senior advisor to the Secretary, with responsibility for assisting in operations of a department with a budget of $30 billion and 31,000 staff.

John also worked on Capitol Hill and was on the staff of Representative Denny Smith (R-OR) from 1981-1988. He served as Chief of Staff to Representative Smith as well as Staff Director for the Congressional Military Reform Caucus from 1986-1988, Legislative Director from 1984-1986, Associate Staff Member of the Committee on the Budget from 1984-1986, and Legislative Assistant from 1981-1984. From 1980-1981, he was a Research Analyst with the Office of the Secretary, Department of the U.S. Air Force, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

John earned a Master’s degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and English from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. John has also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Waitt Family Foundation, a Member of the Genographic Project Advisory Board for the National Geographic Society, a member of the board of the Council on Foundations, a member of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the San Diego Economic Development Corporation. He is currently on the board of the Elizabeth Hanford Dole Foundation.