Interfaith America Founder and President Eboo Patel will receive the 2026 George W. Bush Institute Citation at the 2026 Forum on Leadership on April 16 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.
Awarded annually by the George W. Bush Institute, the Citation recognizes leaders who have made a significant impact in their communities and inspired others to address pressing challenges with purpose, empathy, and service.
Eboo is being honored for his leadership in advancing pluralism as a framework for a diverse democracy, one grounded in respect for identities, relationships across difference, and cooperation across identities and ideologies in pursuit of the common good.
The recognition comes at a moment when the Bush Institute has deepened its own engagement with pluralism. In recent months, the Institute released a national leadership toolkit, We the People: Pluralism in Real Life, and dedicated a summer issue of its Catalyst magazine to the topic, which featured an essay by Eboo on the role of universities as laboratories for pluralism.
He will receive the award and deliver remarks during the Forum’s main program, which convenes national leaders from across sectors to explore issues including free expression, national identity, and the ongoing work of building a more perfect union. The full program will be livestreamed. He is also scheduled to appear on the Bush Institute’s podcast, The Strategerist, as part of the visit.
This recognition reflects the growing momentum behind pluralism as a unifying framework for American civic life and the role Interfaith America continues to play in advancing that vision.
