Yes. If you fly 25,000 elite qualifying miles in one calendar year, you'll get Silver Elite. 50k gets you Gold, and 100k gets you Platinum.

Regarding the Presidential Plus card, that's a good suggestion for your situation. Assuming that with miles to burn, you plan on mostly award travel, then the Elite Access and Free Bags benefits would be the Silver Elite benefits you'd use anyway, as you'd not have much use for 25% bonus on paid travel or upgrades.