Mark is the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation and the presidential historian and political analyst for ABC News. He is the author of six books on the presidency, including his most recent, “Make Your Mark: Lessons in Character from Seven Presidents.” Earlier in his career, he was the director of the LBJ Presidential Library and publisher of Newsweek, and he has written for the New York Times, Politico, and TIME. He has interviewed seven U.S. presidents.
Honoring the legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States and Texas State alumnus, by fulfilling his promise to bring important leaders to the university to share their philosophies and experiences.
2025 LBJ Distinguished Speaker
Distinguished Voices
LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series at Texas State has hosted some of the world's most iconic voices, from poet Maya Angelou to George W. Bush, former U.S. President & Governor of Texas.
Past Speakers
2024
George W. Bush
Former U.S. President and Governor of Texas
Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to students in a classroom at Texas State University
History
Initiated in 1982, the LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series advances President Johnson's plans to invite the world's most exceptional voices to his alma mater.
Support the Series
Texas State presents this speaker series at no cost to students or the community. Funding is made possible by donations to the LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series Endowment.
For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest sleeping in the unplowed ground. Is our world gone? We say ‘Farewell.’ Is a new world coming? We welcome it — and we will bend it to the hopes of man.
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President of the United States Inaugural Address, January 20, 1965