[4] Among the school's alumni are numerous prominent public and business figures, including Lee Kun-hee (Chairman of the Samsung Group), Faure Gnassingbé (current president of Togo), Ted Lerner (owner of the Washington Nationals), Jerry Reinsdorf (owner of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox), Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Ina Garten, celebrity chef and author.

In 1928, the school was founded on the idea that business and government might become partners in promoting national prosperity and international development.

Beginning with a $1 million endowment from The Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction, GW President Cloyd H. Marvin established what was known as the School of Government, with degree programs that integrated business and politics on the national and international levels.

A former member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, Dean Phillips brought to the School her expertise in such specializations as derivatives, bank supervision, and financial management.

In April 2017, Livingstone left GWSB in order to become President of Baylor University, and Vivek Choudhury replaced her as the interim Dean.

The school is currently led by Vanessa Perry, M.B.A., Ph.D., professor of marketing, strategic management and public policy who began serving as interim dean on January 1, 2024.

Some notable alumni include Raya Haffar al-Hassan (Finance Minister, Lebanon), Kun-Hee Lee (Chairman of Samsung), Darla Moore (Financier and philanthropist), Pedro Heilbron (CEO of Copa Holdings, S.A.), Colin Powell (former US Secretary of State), Ellen Malcolm (Founder of EMILY's List), Peter Pace (former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), Kent Conrad (U.S. senator from North Dakota), Randall Edwards (Oregon State Treasurer), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (Prime Minister of Pakistan), Edward M. Liddy (CEO of AIG; former chairman and CEO, Allstate), Ina Garten (Host of Barefoot Contessa), Faure Gnassingbe (President of Togo), Omar Ayub Khan (former Pakistani Minister of State for Finance), Scott Cowen (President of Tulane University), William Dale Montgomery (U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro), and Richard Armour (Director of Information Technology, Dell Computer Corporation).