Presidential historian and bestselling author Doris Kearns Goodwin will address the nation’s urban school leaders at the Council of the Great City Schools’ 70th Annual Fall Conference, Oct. 21-25, in Boston.

A Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, Goodwin is renowned for her ability to link historical events with the challenges that leaders face in contemporary society.

She is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, which helped inspire the Academy Award-winning film Lincoln, and No Ordinary Time, which earned her the Pulitzer Prize in History. Her latest book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, released in 2024, became an instant No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

Beyond her writing, Goodwin has expanded her storytelling to television, serving as an executive producer on historical documentaries for the History Channel, including Washington, as well as series on Abraham Lincoln and the Roosevelt presidents.

Her career began in public service as a White House Fellow, where she worked closely with President Lyndon B. Johnson and later assisted him in writing his memoirs. This experience shaped her lifelong focus on presidential leadership and American history.

The Council’s five-day conference will give big-city school superintendents, board members, senior administrators, and college deans of education a forum to discuss issues and share information and best practices to improve teaching and learning. Hosted by Boston Public Schools, the conference will be held at the Boston Marriott Copley.