IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PERFECT UNION

PRESIDENTIAL POWER AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Onstage & Online
6:30 PM CST  |  Thursday, December 3, 2026
Unity Temple on the Plaza | Kansas City, Missouri
Please note: This is a ticketed event.

Join us for the most anticipated Member event of the year!

The presidency sits at the heart of the American experiment. Its history is one of power tested and constrained, institutions challenged and changed, and presidents who have shaped the nation—sometimes in unintended ways.

Truman Library Institute members are invited to be part of an exclusive, national conversation with Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States and CEO of In Pursuit; Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief of USA TODAY; and Sharon McMahon, New York Times bestselling author, educator, and podcaster.

250 years into our nation’s story, what can the history of the presidency reveal about the forces shaping the United States today? And what can it tell us about where we go from here?

At this extraordinary moment in history—just weeks after the midterm elections—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

RESERVE YOUR MEMBER SEATS TODAY!

JOIN OR RENEW TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT.

Not yet a Member? Annual memberships start at just $35 and offer nationwide benefits.

• Student / Teacher level = 1 free ticket
• Basic level = 2 free tickets
• Family level and higher = 4 free tickets

When you activate your Membership, you will receive an email with your Members-0nly registration link for the 20th Annual Bennett Forum on the Presidency.

Featured Guests

SHARON MCMAHON—“America’s Government Teacher”—is one of the most widely-read independent voices in American politics and culture. She founded and writes The Preamble, a daily newsletter on history, government and current events, and hosts The Preamble podcast. A former public school teacher, McMahon began publishing civics content on her social media leading up to the 2020 election, earning a following of 1.8 million people who call themselves “Governerds.” Her debut book, The Small and the Mighty, was a #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the most decorated nonfiction books in 2025.

SUSAN PAGE is the Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY, where she writes about the White House and national politics. She is the New York Times bestselling author of a series of biographies of formidable women, most recently The Queen and Her Presidents: The Hidden Hand That Shaped History. She has covered 12 presidential elections and interviewed the past 10 presidents, from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump. A Wichita native, Page’s awards include the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency (twice), the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage, and the Merriman Smith Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage. She has served as president of the White House Correspondents Association and as president of the Gridiron Club, the oldest association of journalists in D.C.

COLLEEN SHOGAN served as the 11th Archivist of the United States, the first woman in American history appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to lead the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). A native of the Pittsburgh area, she holds a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and a Ph.D. in American Politics from Yale University, where she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow. Colleen is the 2024 recipient of the American Political Science Association’s Hubert Humphrey Award for outstanding public service. In addition to serving as CEO at In Pursuit, Shogan is a Senior Fellow in Civics Education at Stand Together and an Adjunct Professor of Government at Georgetown University.

RESERVE MEMBER TICKETS  OR  JOIN & RSVP

Annual memberships start at just $35 and offer nationwide benefits. When you activate your Membership, you will receive an email with your Members-0nly registration link for the 20th Annual Bennett Forum on the Presidency. 

About the Forum on the Presidency

The Howard & Virginia Bennett Forum on the Presidency was established in 2006 by Mary and Michael Johnston to fulfill President Truman’s vision for his presidential library as a “classroom for democracy.”