Woodrow Wilson Center to Honor Lee H. Hamilton, President and Director
President and Mrs. Obama to serve as Honorary Dinner Chairs
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, October 5, 2010, a Gala will be held to celebrate the last decade at The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and to honor Lee H. Hamilton who will step down as its president and director later this year. This event, which will take place at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., will pay tribute to Hamilton for his leadership of the Center in the first decade of the 21st century and celebrate his many legacies as one of the most highly respected statesmen in the United States today.
President and Mrs. Barack Obama are serving as Honorary Dinner Chairs of the Gala. The Honorary Co-Chairs include the former living Presidents and First Ladies, and the former living Secretaries of State are serving as Honorary Dinner Committee Members. Former Governor Thomas H. Kean, who served with Hamilton on the 9/11 Commission, is also serving on the Honorary Committee.
Veteran ABC News Anchor and Correspondent and Wilson Council President Sam Donaldson will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the Gala program to honor Hamilton and celebrate the work of the Wilson Center over the past 12 years. In addition to remarks, there will be a video presentation and a special performance by Indiana University's Singing Hoosiers before the more than 500 guests at the seated dinner.
As its well-respected leader, Lee Hamilton has advanced the Center's mission of promoting nonpartisan public discourse and knowledge in the public service. Throughout his lifetime of service, he has brought a unique dimension of curiosity, inclusiveness, fairness, and nonpartisanship to every arena in which he has participated, qualities that have made him a natural leader, both as the face and voice of the Wilson Center for the past 12 years, and during his 34 years in the U.S. Congress representing Indiana's 9th congressional district. Hamilton served as chairman and ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and chaired the Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran, the Joint Economic Committee, and the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. He also served as Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group and later as Vice-Chair of the 9/11 Commission and Co-Chair of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project. Currently, Hamilton is Co-Chair of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, as well as the National Security Preparedness Group. He also serves on President Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board, Advisory Committees to the Director of the CIA and FBI and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and the Board of Directors of BAE Systems, Inc.
BAE Systems will be the presenting sponsor for the Gala. BAE Systems is a global defense, security, and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land, and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions, and customer support services.
Joseph B. Gildenhorn and Alma Gildenhorn are the international sponsors for the Gala. Gildenhorn is chairman of the Center's Board of Trustees, which is appointed by the President. He previously served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland (1983–1993) and is a founding partner and a director of The JBG Companies in Washington, D.C. He is currently Chairman of the University of Maryland College Park Foundation Board of Trustees.
For information on becoming a sponsor or purchasing tickets for the Gala, please call 202-459-0846 or visit www.wilsoncenter.org/gala2010.
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the national living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson. In providing an essential link between the worlds of ideas and public policy, the Center addresses current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. The Center promotes policy-relevant research and dialogue to increase understanding and enhance the capabilities and knowledge of leaders, citizens, and institutions worldwide. Created by an Act of Congress in 1968, the Center is a nonpartisan not-for-profit institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. and supported by both public and private funds. The Wilson Center convenes close to 800 lectures and discussions a year, and the vast majority are open to the public. In addition, the Center hosts 150 visiting scholars and fellows each year, and maintains an active campaign of outreach through its website, media appearances, books, newsletter, the Wilson Quarterly magazine, and its radio and television programs.
Press Contact: Sharon McCarter
Vice President for Outreach and Communications
Phone (202) 691-4016
SOURCE Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Share this article