Jean Becker was chief of staff for George H.W. Bush from March 1, 1994 until his death on November 30, 2018. She supervised his office operations in both Houston, Texas and Kennebunkport, Maine, overseeing such events as the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library Center in 1997 and the commissioning of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in January 2009 and coordinating his special projects such as the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. She took a leave of absence in 1999 to edit and research, All the Best, George Bush; My Life in Letters and Other Writings.
Previously, Becker served as deputy press secretary to First Lady Barbara Bush from 1989 to 1992. After the 1992 election, she moved to Houston to help Mrs. Bush with the editing and research of her autobiography, Barbara Bush, A Memoir. She later assisted Mrs. Bush with a follow-up book, Reflections, published in 2003.
Before joining the Bush White House staff in 1989, Becker was a newspaper reporter for 10 years, including a four-year stint at USA Today where her duties included covering the 1988 presidential election and a Page One editor.
She grew up on a family farm in Martinsburg, Missouri, and was valedictorian of her country high school. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 1978 with a bachelor’s in journalism and a bachelor’s in arts with a major in political science. Becker was recognized as an outstanding alumnus by the University of Missouri in 2017.
She is a member of the board of directors for Points of Light and the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. She also is a member of the advisory board of The George Bush Presidential Library Center, The George Bush School of Government and Public Service, and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy.
Becker is the bestselling author of Pearls of Wisdom: Little Pieces of Advice (That Go A Long Way) about First Lady Barbara Bush, The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush’s Post-Presidency, a heartfelt behind-the-scenes look at one of the most respected men of our time, and most recently, Character Matters and Other Life Lessons from George H.W. Bush, a collection of pivotal life lessons from President Bush that impacted his colleagues, friends, and family.
