The Executive Leadership Council to Honor Ambassador Andrew Jackson Young, Jr. with 2022 Global Game Changer Award

Ambassador Young is recognized for his lifetime commitment to the social, political and economic advancement of oppressed people around the world.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) announced today that it will honor the Honorable Ambassador Andrew Young, Jr. with the prestigious 2022 Global Game Changer Award during its 2022 ELC Recognition Gala on Thursday, October 6, 2022. The event is set to take place at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. at 6:00 p.m. ET and will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier with performances by Babyface and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Founded as the preeminent global membership organization for Black current and former CEOs, senior executives, and board members of Fortune 1000 and equivalent companies, The ELC´s Global Game Changer Award honors an individual whose achievements transcend traditional roles for Black Americans, women and other underrepresented people and who represent a dynamic vision of how Black leaders globally can impact the world through political, economic, educational, and philanthropic empowerment and stewardship.

"For more than half a century Ambassador Andrew Young has dedicated his life to helping Black people around the globe," said ELC President & CEO Michael C. Hyter. "From teaching literacy and leadership skills in the rural South to serving as aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and as the Mayor of Atlanta and ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Young exemplifies everything this award is meant to honor."

Ambassador Young´s remarkable legacy is unappareled, helping to change the course of history as a leader in the Civil Rights movement, he has been a civic activist, elected official, groundbreaking ambassador, social entrepreneur, and adviser to presidents. He was elected to office in 1972, becoming the first African-American representative from the Deep South to serve in Congress since Reconstruction. In 1977, he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the nation's first African-American Ambassador to the United Nations. Among his many accolades over the years, Young has been the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the French Legion d'Honneur and has received honorary degrees from more than 100 colleges and universities.

Previous Global GameChanger recipients include Colin Kaepernick, former United States Attorney General Eric Holder and former United States Senator Hillary Clinton.

The Annual Recognition Gala is The ELC's most important fundraising event, supporting its scholarships, educational outreach and philanthropic initiatives and recognizing its mission, purpose and impact in action. Johnson & Johnson is serving as the Lead Sponsor of the 2022 Gala.

This 2022 ELC Gala highlights and honors corporate and individual leaders and will award more than $1.5 million in scholarships to 132 university students, the majority of whom matriculate at some of the nation's most well-regarded HBCUs and are largely represented by women. The ELC Scholarship Program is part of the organization's broader philanthropic strategy, which includes expanding emphasis on community and making larger investments in new philanthropic programmatic pillars that will ensure increased opportunities for young Black women and men to succeed as business executives.

In addition to honoring Ambassador Young, The Executive Leadership Council will present The ELC 2022 Achievement Award to Marvin Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Lowe's. This award is presented to Black corporate executives whose business career achievements highlight personal and professional excellence. 

Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell will accept the 2022 Corporate Award on behalf of his organization. This award is given to a corporation that has made significant contributions to the advancement of Black corporate executives in areas including pipeline development, board diversity, supplier diversity and philanthropic efforts directed toward the Black community.

Brenda J. Lauderback, chair of the board of Denny's board of directors and a member of the Sleep Number and Wolverine Worldwide corporate boards, will accept the 2022 Alvaro L. Martins Heritage Award which was created in honor of The ELC's founding member and its first president and CEO. The Heritage Award recognizes an individual who has made significant lifetime contributions toward supporting the achievement of Black individuals in business.

The Executive Leadership Council opens channels of opportunity for the development of Black executives to positively impact business and our communities. An independent non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 1986, The ELC is the pre-eminent membership organization committed to increasing the number of global Black executives in C-suites, on corporate boards and in global enterprises. Comprising more than 800 current and former Black CEOs, senior executives and board directors at Fortune 1000 and Global 500 companies and entrepreneurs at top-tier firms, its members work to build an inclusive business leadership pipeline that empowers global Black leaders to make impactful contributions to the marketplace and the global communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.elcinfo.com. Engage during the event on social media: #ELCGALA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sonia Diaz at [email protected]

SOURCE The Executive Leadership Council