WASHINGTON, DC, Dec 7 – Dr. Doug Bradburn, a judge for the Grateful American Book Prize since its 2015 inception, has been appointed as the new president and chief executive officer of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, effective January 1, 2018.

The announcement was issued this morning by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which purchased the Virginia estate of America’s first president in 1858. Opened to the public in 1860, it has the distinction of being the most popular historic estate in country, welcoming an average of one million visitors per year.

Bradburn currently serves as Founding Director for Mount Vernon’s Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. With the appointment, he becomes only the eleventh person to hold the position since the purchase of the estate.

A noted American history scholar, Bradburn was quick to answer the call when the Grateful American Book Prize was established by its co-founders, author and publisher David Bruce Smith and the former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dr. Bruce Cole.

“His dedication to the task of teaching our nation’s children how to be responsible citizens made him the perfect choice for the mission of the Grateful American Book Prize. Our aim is to encourage authors and publishers to produce more works of historically accurate fiction and nonfiction aimed at inspiring young learners to learn more about our country,” Smith noted.

During his inaugural directorship of Mount Vernon’s research library, Bradburn pioneered the launch of the George Washington Leadership Institute, which provided leadership development to government, corporate, and military officials. He also championed the restructuring of Mount Vernon’s teacher outreach programs and guided the creation of a residential fellowship program for talented college juniors. He secured significant acquisitions of documents and manuscripts for the Library’s collections and spearheaded significant enhancements to the Library’s digital platforms.

In making the announcement, Regent Sarah Miller Coulson said that Bradburn “brings the right balance of management expertise, intellectual rigor, and passion for George Washington’s legacy to lead us in these times. We have seen Doug’s energetic and effective leadership in action in the four transformational years that he has served as our library’s founding director, and we are confident that he will apply tremendous enthusiasm and commitment to this position.”