Gleaves Whitney
Executive Director


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.

High res image here.

 

Rachel Siglow
Deputy Director

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, 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
Bookkeeper

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.

 

 

 

 

Reegan Zomer
Project Manager of the Ford Leadership Forum, and Events Coordinator for the 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.

 

 

 

 

Jacqueline Poulson
Executive Assistant and Donor Relations Coordinator

Jacqueline brings a wealth of experience from both the educational and corporate sectors. Starting her career as a high school English teacher, Jacqueline cultivated a deep passion for lifelong learning and personal growth, values she continues to uphold in her current role.

Following her time in education, she spent nearly a decade in pharmaceutical and educational sales, where she developed a keen understanding of strategic communication, relationship building, and leadership skills.

An Arizona native, Jacqueline received her Bachelor’s from Northern Michigan University. Outside of professional work, she is passionate about health and wellness, and enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and two dogs in Lowell, Michigan.

April Hunt
Communications and Digital Strategist

April is a proud Michigan State Spartan (Go Green!) who grew up on Michigan’s east side. A former journalist, she’s built her career in various forms of communications. She most recently spent over a decade as the senior editor for Grand Rapids Kids, the flagship brand under HeyMichigan.com. Here she gained extensive experience in brand building, web publishing, social media strategy and project management. She joined the Foundation team in March.

She believes strongly in honesty, candor and service, which makes it easy for her to promote the legacies of Jerry and Betty Ford.

When not in the office, April mentors middle school girls and is the director’s assistant for her kids’ over-the-top elementary musicals.

Elena Edwards
Program Associate, Ford Leadership Forum

Elena Edwards

Elena Edwards is the Program Associate for the Ford Leadership Forum, which is founded on the ideas of promoting civic engagement, leadership development, and community betterment. Elena was raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she was active in her community and took a strong interest in civic involvement. Through these values, she is able to uphold her current role at the Foundation.

She graduated Cum Laude from Ferris State University, where she received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a minor in Legal Studies. Throughout college, Elena was heavily involved in multiple student organizations and held various leadership roles.

Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, playing beach and indoor volleyball, and golfing.

 

Distinguished Fellows

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 Houston. He 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.