Mark K Updegrove

Introduction:

Mark K. Updegrove (born August 25, 1961) is an American author, historian, journalist, television commentator. He is the inaugural CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum, and was formerly the director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas.

Background:

Updegrove was born outside Philadelphia in Abington, PA, on Aug. 25, 1961. He attended high school at the George School, which honored him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1984.

Career:

Updegrove is inaugural CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum, to be built on Charleston Harbor, in Mount Pleasant, SC. From 2009 to 2017, he served as the fourth director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.

As director of the LBJ Library, in 2014, Updegrove hosted the Civil Rights Summit, an historic three-day conference around the fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which included a keynote address by President Barack Obama and programs with former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, as well as programs with many civil rights luminaries including Julian Bond, John Lewis, and Andrew Young. The summit garnered international news coverage, including the New York Times profile on Updegrove titled, “Chronicler of Presidents Brings Four Together.”

In April 2016, Updegrove hosted the Vietname War Summit, a three-day conference, featuring a keynote address by Secretary of State John Kerry. Among the additional participants were Henry Kissinger, Ken Burns, and Medal of Honor Recipients Bruce Crandall, Bob Kerrey, and Joe Marm.

Under Updegrove's direction, the LBJ Library partnered with the Aspen Institute on “Medicare and Medicaid Turn 50” in Washington, DC, in April 2015, and in November 2015, partnered with WETA, on “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of American Creativity,”[1] which aired on PBS, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, and was hosted by President and Mrs. Obama.

Early in his tenure at the library, Updegrove oversaw the $11 million renovation of the library’s core exhibit on Lyndon Johnson and his administration, which opened in December 2012.

Updegrove's December 2014 Politico article, What 'Selma' Gets Wrong, ignited a controversy over the portrayal of Lyndon Johnson as an obstructionist on voting rights in the film Selma, touching off a debate about the importance of accuracy in films based on historic events. In January 2015, Updegrove addressed the issue on CBS' Face the Nation.

As an author, journalist, or director of the LBJ Library, Updegrove has conducted exclusive interviews with five U.S. Presidents: George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford. Among others, he has also conducted exclusive interviews or moderated public conversations with Hank Aaron, David Axelrod, James Baker, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Ken Burns, Rosalynn Carter, Julian Castro, Hillary Clinton, Bryan Cranston, Robert Gates, Doris Kearns Goodwin, John Glenn, Eric Holder, Mikhail Gorbachev, Henry Kissinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, Robert Redford, Condoleeza Rice, Karl Rove, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

Updegrove spent much of his early career in magazine publishing, including serving as manager of Time Magazine in Los Angeles; president of Time Canada, Time's separate Canadian edition and operation; and, publisher of Newsweek.

Author/Books:

Updegrove is the author of four books. His fifth book, The Last Republicans: Inside the Remarkable Relationship Between George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, which includes material from exclusive interviews with both Bush presidents, will be published by HarperCollins in November 2017. Updegrove's other works are:

Journalist:

Updegrove has written for American Heritage, The Daily Beast, The Nation, National Geographic, The New York Times, Politico, Texas Monthly, Time, and is a contributing editor to Parade Magazine.

Television Commentator:

As a contributor to ABC News and "Good Morning America," Updegrove is called on to offer commentary on matters related to politics and the presidency, including the 2013 Presidential Inauguration, the 2016 election coverage and the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. He is a contributor to "CBS Sunday Morning," "The CBS Evening News," CNN, CSPN, "The Daily Show," "Face the Nation," Fox News, "Good Morning America," "Morning Joe," MSNBC, "NBC Nightly News," NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All things Considered," "The PBS News Hour," and "The Today Show." He has also been interviewed for numerous documentaries including, "The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents," "What the Hell's the Presidency For?" and "The White House: The Inside Story."

Adjunct Professor/Lecturer:

In 2013 and 2015, Updegrove taught "The Johnson Years" for Liberal Arts Honors students as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He has spoken extensively at numerous colleges and universities, museums, presidential libraries, and other public speaking forums.

Personal:

Updegrove is married to Amy Banner Updegrove, a marketing consultant who formerly served as publisher of Texas Monthly and president of Los Angeles Magazine. Both have two children from previous marriages. They live in Austin, TX, and Mount Pleasant, SC.