James Rosebush

Rosebush at Opal Group's Family Office and Private Wealth Summit in Newport, Rhode Island in 2023

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.

Biography

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. Before moving to Washington, DC at age 32 to work in the White House, Rosebush earned an MA degree in Public Affairs from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Principia College.

Reagan's White House

From 1981 to 1986, 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 in 1988 he negotiated with Russian officials for the historic bi-lateral meeting between Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

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.

1986-Current

After leaving the White House, Rosebush founded the international advisory firm GrowthStrategy, Inc, which manages strategies, finance, marketing, and communications for Fortune 500 companies and startups. In 2018 he launched Intersection Impact Fund, focusing on impact investing and philanthropy. He also lectures and appears on news programs and podcasts to speak about his work in the Reagan White House.

Books

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, was True Reagan: What Made Ronald Reagan Great and Why It Matters, a personal account of what made Reagan tick. Published in 2020 also by Hachette, Winning Your Audience: Deliver a Message with the Confidence of a President breaks down how readers can give their own President-caliber presentations.

Advisory boards

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.