The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton and the Honorable James R. Thompson, recipients of the Dean's Award, served as co-chair and member respectively of the 9-11 Commission. They will receive the award in recognition of the 9-11 Commission and its work. Hamilton is president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C and continues to serve in President Bush's Homeland Security Advisory Council. He previously served for 34 years in Congress representing Indiana's Ninth District. Thompson, Illinois' longest-serving governor (1977-1991), is chairman of the law firm of Winston and Strawn of Chicago, specializing in governmental relations and regulatory affairs. Thompson is also director of several corporations including FMC Corporation, FMC Technologies, Inc. and the Chicago Board of Trade.
In 1973, Ann Ellwood received a grant (with assistance from then Senator Walter Mondale) to create a program that would assist families in meeting the challenges they face raising children and managing all their needs. She eventually founded MELD, and more than 30 years later this national non-profit organization is still working to meet the needs of new parents in the Twin Cities through several educational and support programs. Ellwood has since stepped down as executive director, but MELD is growing strong. It has been replicated in 20 states and currently has 96 affiliates and nine networks, including the District of Columbia. The programs' results continue to be positive. An analysis of the Meld for Young Moms program showed that young parents who completed this program were at lower risk for child abuse and neglect. Those results impact the community as Meld prepares new parents to be better citizens and participants. Ellwood lives in Minnesota and has one son and two daughters.
Nancy Eustis is a professor and director of graduate studies at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. She has been a member of the Humphrey Institute faculty for more than 30 years, during which she also served as interim associate dean (2003-04) and associate dean for instruction (1997-2001). Eustis teaches courses in social policy and evaluation research. She also serves on the University's gerontology faculty and is affiliated with the University's Department of Sociology and School of Public Health. She was named deputy director for the University of Minnesota Center on Aging in 1996 and has served as the All-University Council on Aging co-chair. From 1994 to 1995, she was special assistant in disability, aging, and long-term care policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
David McCauley served as Anoka County commissioner from 1993 to 2004. He was also elected mayor of Coon Rapids from 1980-81 and served as a Coon Rapids councilmember from 1969-72. His public service career is varied and includes board and council positions with several organizations including the Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Coon Rapids Rotary Club, the Community Emergency Assistance Program, and the Coon Rapids Youth First board of directors. Most notably, as chairman of the Metropolitan Radio Board, McCauley led the development and implementation of a region-wide public safety radio system linking together state agencies, metropolitan council operations, nine counties, and emergency medical services. He also was successful as an entrepreneur in starting his own business, DSM Information Services, Inc., a manufacturer of business and accounting software.
