The 2025 Dole Lecture

2025 commemorates the 80th anniversary of Bob Dole’s battlefield wounding, and the end of World War II. Former Dole staffers Bob Lighthizer, Sheila Burke, and Rod DeArment will discuss the Senator’s formative leadership during the Reagan era through his retirement from the US Senate in 1996. How did Dole influence U.S. fiscal and economic policy? What policy concerns shaped his political platform during his presidential runs in 1988 and 1996? Which of his policies and leadership lessons are most relevant today?

About the Dole Lecture

Each spring, the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics commemorates the date on which Senator Bob Dole was critically wounded while serving in Italy during World War II. To honor Senator Dole’s courageous recovery and commitment to serve the nation, we welcome a guest to the Institute who embodies the commitments that Senator Dole held throughout his career in public service.

Sheila Burke served as Chief of Staff to Senator Bob Dole from 1985 to 1996 in his capacity as Senate Republican Leader. She was previously a staffer on the Senate Finance Committee, including as a professional staff member and as Deputy Staff Director. Burke later went on to serve as Executive Dean of the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, and remains an adjunct lecturer in public policy. She also served as the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Smithsonian Institution.

Rod DeArment served as Chief of Staff to Senator Bob Dole from 1985 to 1986 in his capacity as Senate Republican Leader. From 1979 to 1985, he served as Chief Counsel and Staff Director and Deputy Staff Director to the Senate Finance Committee, which Dole chaired. DeArment later served as Deputy Secretary of Labor for President George H.W. Bush, and was a partner at Covington & Burling. 

Robert Lighthizer served as Chief of Staff of the Senate Finance Committee from 1978 to 1983, including while Senator Bob Dole chaired the committee. Most recently, he served as the United States Trade Representative from 2017 to 2021. Ambassador Lighthizer is also the author of No Trade is Free: Changing Course, Taking on China, and Helping America’s Workers.