Barack Obama is Headed to Houston for a Star-Studded Night: It’s Another Presidential Coup for Rice University’s Baker Institute

Get ready for some major presidential star power. Barack Obama is coming to Houston for the milestone 25th anniversary of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Obama will take part in a moderated conversation at Rice on November 27. And you thought Hamilton was a hot ticket?

“2018 is a major milestone for the institute and for all our supporters and friends, without whom we could not have established this prominent public policy forum,” Baker Institute director Edward P. Djerejian says. “With President Obama’s participation in our gala, the institute will have had the privilege of hosting every living former president since its inception.”

The Baker Institute’s presidential drawing power shows how respected it is in the world of international politics.

Bill Clinton spoke to more than 2,700 students in a 2007 appearance at the Baker Institute. George W. Bush memorably spoke at the 20th anniversary gala.

When the Baker Institute held its groundbreaking in 1994, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford all attended, setting the bipartisan approach that the Baker Institute continues to this day.

Obama fits right into the tradition of presidents at the Baker Institute, while bringing his own unique star power.

Obama Out of the White House

Since leaving the White House, Obama has enjoyed some needed down time. He’s hung out on a mega yacht with Oprah and Bruce Springsteen — and kite surfed with Richard Branson. He did David Letterman’s new Netflix show. But he’s also shown more and more interest in championing the causes he believes in most.

In July, Obama will deliver a lecture in South Africa to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. His Obama Foundation will also hold town-hall style meetings with young people in the African nation at the same time. The former president will be once again standing up for tolerance.

It’s easy to imagine him striking some of the same tones in Houston.

Obama’s Rice talk will be “invitation only” for Baker Institute supporters and chosen guests. Full ticket information will be released later, closer to the November event.

While Barack Obama is the clear rock star highlight of the Baker Institute’s 25th anniversary, which carries the theme “A Quarter Century: Making History,” there will be a host of speaker events and conferences throughout the fall.

Obama did not spend a ton of time in Texas during his presidency. But this Baker Institute will mark at least his second appearance in Houston in seven months. He and his wife Michelle recently attended Barbara Bush’s funeral in town.

Now, he’ll be the guest of honor at the Baker Institute’s 25th anniversary gala.