Send2Press Newswire

Senator George J. Mitchell to Receive 2008 Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:50:12 GMT

PHILADELPHIA, Pa., May 12 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Eisenhower Fellowships has announced that it will present the 2008 Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service to former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell. Eisenhower Chairman General Colin L. Powell USA (Retired) will present the award to Senator Mitchell at its annual board of trustees' dinner in Philadelphia on May 15, 2008.

The Eisenhower medal is awarded annually to a business leader, statesmen, or other public figure who has achieved widely-recognized advances toward President Eisenhower's vision of peace and productivity through person-to-person international dialogue.

"Senator Mitchell's commitment to brokering innovative solutions to international conflicts, as demonstrated by his stewardship of the peace effort in Ireland and his efforts to end violence in the Middle East, reflects the time-honored mission of Eisenhower Fellowships," said John S. Wolf, president of organization. "For 55 years, Eisenhower Fellowships has promoted international understanding and cooperation through the exchange of information, ideas, and perspectives among emerging leaders throughout the world."

Senator George J. Mitchell currently serves as chairman of the global board of international law firm DLA Piper and as Chancellor of Queen's University in Northern Ireland. In 1980, Senator Mitchell resigned the position of U.S. District Judge for Maine to accept appointment to the U.S. Senate. He served in the U.S. Senate for 14 years, including six years as Senate Majority Leader. While in the Senate, Senator Mitchell's efforts led to the successful passage of major legislation to protect the environment, expand public education, and promote free trade. After he left the Senate in 1995, Senator Mitchell continued to serve the public through his pro bono work for a number of domestic and international causes.

In 1996, the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland asked Senator Mitchell to chair the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. The Senator led the negotiations for two years, work that ultimately resulted in the historic Good Friday Accord that ended decades of conflict. In addition, Senator Mitchell has served as chairman of the Special Commission investigating allegations of impropriety in the bidding process for the Olympic Games, the National Health Care Commission, and an international fact finding commission on violence in the Middle East. More recently, Senator Mitchell led an independent investigation on past steroid use by Major League Baseball. He was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.

Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization that identifies men and women well on their way to positions of regional or national leadership, and provides them with individualized fellowships for visits and consultations with leaders in their fields. Established in 1953 as a tribute to President Eisenhower, the organization has sponsored over 1,700 Fellows from more than 100 countries.

For more information please visit www.eisenhowerfellowships.org.

Copyright © 2008 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Dwight D Eisenhower Medal for Leadership, Eisenhower Fellowships

Congressman Virgil Goode to Receive Stephen Dill Lee Award Wednesday

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:20:37 GMT

ELM SPRINGS, COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Dec. 4 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Sons of Confederate Veterans Commander-in-Chief Christopher M. Sullivan will present the Stephen Dill Lee Award to Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia at a ceremony sponsored by the Jefferson Davis Camp, #305, Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Congressman Goode (which rhymes with mood) represents the 5th District of Virginia in the U. S. Congress. This includes the Southside of Virginia to Charlottesville.

He served in the Virginia Senate beginning at the age of 27 as a Democrat. He later became an Independent, and ultimately in 2002, a Republican.

Congressman Goode is a member of the Liberty Caucus which meets each Thursday while in session and is hosted for lunch by Congressman Ron Paul.

He will speak at the Rosslyn banquet honoring him on his favorite subject, Robert E. Lee.

The event is the annual Christmas party for the camp and their guests. It will be held on Wednesday, December 5th at the Holiday Inn, Key Bridge, in Rosslyn, VA from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Tickets for the banquet and program are $27. All members and friends of the SCV and Congressman Goode are cordially invited to attend.

Copyright © 2007 Send2Press® Newswire, a unit of Neotrope®
TAGS: Send2Press Newswire, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Congressman Virgil Goode

Senator Van de Putte Named President-Elect of National Conference of State Legislators

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 15:58:00 GMT

AUSTIN, TX and SEATTLE, Wash. - August 17 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) is being named President-Elect of the prestigious National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Friday at their annual conference in Seattle, Washington. Van de Putte, the first Hispanic and the first Texan ever named President-Elect of the organization, will assume the Presidency of the organization next year.

NCSL, an effective and respected advocate for the interests of state governments before Congress and federal agencies, provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues.

"It is such an honor to be selected as the first Texan and the first Hispanic to be President-Elect of NCSL, which is the forum for America's ideas," said Senator Van de Putte, who also served as the President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators until June 2005.

A reception, organized by The Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, will be held tonight in Van de Putte's honor. She will be officially installed in the office of President-Elect this Friday.

Leaders from Texas in both the House and Senate commended Van de Putte for her new position. "I congratulate Senator Van de Putte for being the first Texan as well as the first Hispanic ever named President-Elect of the National Conference of State Legislators," said Lt. Governor David Dewhurst. "I'm proud that Texas is represented in the premier national resource for state legislators across the nation, and I commend Senator Van de Putte for her hard work in achieving this honor."

"I would like to congratulate Senator Leticia Van de Putte on her nomination," said Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Tom Craddick. "She will make a valuable contribution to the bipartisan spirit that NCSL embodies and I wish her the best of luck."

Van de Putte is also the current Chair of both the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus and the Senate Veteran's Affairs and Military Installations Committee.

Senator Van de Putte, a legislator since 1991, represents District 26 in San Antonio. She is a pharmacist by profession and she and her husband Pete have six children, ages 16-25.

National Public Service Award Winners Announced

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 12:34:00 GMT

Cosponsored by the American Society for Public Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration

WASHINGTON, DC /Send2Press Newswire/ -- Winners of the prestigious National Public Service Awards, the premier awards for excellence in public service at all levels of government, have been announced by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). They will be presented on Monday, April 4, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee, WI, at noon, at the ASPA National Conference.

ASPA and NAPA established the National Public Service Awards in 1983 to honor individuals whose accomplishments are models of public service within and outside the work environment. The NPSA Awards Program recognizes individuals who exhibit the highest standards of excellence, dedication, and accomplishment over a sustained period of time and who are creative and skilled career managers at all levels of public service. The 2005 National Public Service Award winners are:

Frank A. Fairbanks, City Manager of Phoenix, Arizona has been a leader in local government for 32 years; during his tenure, Financial World Magazine recognized Phoenix as the "Best Managed City in the Nation" in 1995. He began his career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Office of the President of Costa Rica.

Under Fairbanks' leadership, Phoenix consolidated city departments in a new city hall, which was completed on time and under budget, developed e-government, and achieved an AAA excise tax revenue bond rating from Standard and Poors. As if running the U.S.'s largest council-manager form of government were not enough, Fairbanks has co-chaired the Phoenix Violence Prevention Initiative since its inception, served on the Arizona Family Housing Fund, and has started, coached, and refereed youth soccer.

Throughout the city management profession, Fairbanks is known as one who nurtures other public servants. Mayor Phil Gordon notes that Fairbanks believes strongly in building outstanding employees and "takes great pride in sustaining and growing the tremendous amount of cooperation that exists between the mayor, City Council, city staff, and the community."

Maria Gomez, recently retired Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services Child and Family Services, has served under five Minnesota governors from three political parties and reshaped every major human services program and improved the lives of thousands of Minnesotans. She began her Minnesota career as an intern, having previously been a social worker in Florida, working with the influx of Cuban immigrants.

Gomez also took the lead on redesigning nursing reimbursement funding and developing programs that allowed low-income, elderly Minnesotans to receive home and community-based services. Such changes have saved countless tax dollars and allowed many Minnesotans to stay at home rather than move into nursing homes.

Governor Tim Pawlenty notes that, "With a constant focus on public policy and people, especially children, Gomez has developed visionary efforts...such as launching the Minnesota Family Investment Program, and implementing a children's initiative to coordinate children and family services. Thousands of families have left welfare for work and hundreds of children have left the foster care system for safe and permanent homes."

Elizabeth Hill, Executive Director, California Legislative Analyst's Office, is respected as one of the top leaders in state government; within the state, and nationally. As California's fiscal advisor to both houses of the legislature, she has put her analytical, nonpartisan eye on nearly all issues that have come before it for 20 years.

In the 1980s, her office uncovered a budget deficit that the governor's staff insisted was not there; she was correct and the budget was adjusted. In the 1990s, her staff developed the policy analysis that helped shape the state's welfare reform law. More recently, Hill led the LAO's review of Governor Schwarzenegger's California Performance Review (CPR), a five-volume, 2,500-page report with proposals to reform state government.

In 1997, Governing Magazine named Hill "Public Official of the Year," noting that the LAO's annual Perspectives and Issues makes it "possible for relatively neophyte, term-limited legislators to get a quick grasp of major challenges facing them."

M. Peter McPherson is a Founding Co-Chair and Director of the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa. Until recently, he was president of Michigan State University (MSU). In 2003, McPherson took a leave of absence to serve as the Director of Economic Policy for the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq, where he helped establish a central bank and develop a new currency.

McPherson's public service career began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, where he worked with other volunteers on school feeding programs. As USAID administrator from 1984-1985, he led the U.S. response to the famine in Africa. McPherson's interest in world humanitarian and agricultural issues has made a difference for millions of people. As Ambassador Julia Chang Block noted, "Famine in Africa has not ended, nor has Peter's dedication to do something about it."

To learn more about 2005 NPSA winners, visit: www.napawash.org/about_academy/about_npsa2005winners.html

To nominate someone for the 2006 awards, visit: www.napawash.org/about_academy/about_npsa.html

For a list of all past winners, visit www.aspanet.org/scriptcontent/index_awardsnpsa_winners.cfm

National Academy of Public Administration, 1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 1090E, Washington, DC 20005, (202) 347-3190, ext 3008, npsa @ napawash.org.