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| 2006 PUBLIC LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS
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 During Senator George J. Mitchell's 14-year career representing the state of Maine in the U.S. Senate, he served six years as majority leader. In 1996, the governments of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland asked Mitchell to chair the peace negotiations in Northern Ireland. He led the negotiations for two years, work that ultimately resulted in a historic accord that ended decades of conflict. He has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his leadership in the peace talks, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor the U.S. government can give. Also during that time, at the request of the governments of the United States and Israel and Palestinian leaders, he chaired an international fact-finding committee on violence in the Middle East. The committee's recommendation, known as The Mitchell Report, was released in 2001 and endorsed by the Bush Administration, the European Union, and many other governments. Mitchell has returned to his roots as a lawyer and continues to work on international issues.
Read George Mitchell's remarks. |
 Geri M. Joseph has been actively engaged and committed to serving the common good throughout her career. She began in 1946 as a journalist for The Minneapolis Tribune, specializing in health, education, and welfare reporting. This led her into politics where she notably served as the only woman to chair a major committee at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. In 1978, President Carter named Joseph the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, where she served until 1981. Her wide range of expertise has allowed her to contribute to several presidential initiatives as well. She was appointed to President Kennedy's Committee on Youth Employment, President Johnson's Commission on Income Maintenance Programs, and President Carter's Commission on Mental Health.
Read Geri Joseph's remarks. |
 Kathleen Blatz, former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice, has given decades of service to Minnesota. In 1979, at age 24, she was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she served her Bloomington district until 1994. She became her party's minority leader and chaired the House Crime and Family Law Committee. She was appointed a district court judge for Hennepin County in 1994 and served until her appointment to the high court in 1996. Governor Arne Carlson appointed her Chief Justice in 1998 where she served until January 2006. Blatz was the youngest Chief Justice in more than 100 years and is the first woman to lead the state's judicial branch.
Read Kathleen Blatz's remarks. |
 Gary L. Cunningham's social service and health care entrepreneurship has influenced many lives. He is the director of primary care and chief executive officer at NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, the largest community health center in Minnesota. He served as the principal architect of this new, integrated model for county health, mental health, and social services. Cunningham has directed several large-scale initiatives that have changed the health care and human services landscape in North Minneapolis. While serving as the director of the Office of Planning and Development for Hennepin County, he founded and directed the African American Men Project, a community-centered empowerment program that examines and addresses barriers to self-sufficiency for African-American males aged 18-30.
Read Gary Cunningham's remarks. |
 Wing Young Huie is an award-winning photographer who has received international attention for his many projects that document the changing cultural landscape of Minnesota. His work offers a vivid portrayal of the cultural nuances and complexities that face the diverse populations in the United States. His best-known work, Lake Street USA, transformed six miles of the Minneapolis thoroughfare into a public art project, with photographs of local residents and their cultural backgrounds displayed in store windows, bus stops, and on the sides of buses and abandoned buildings. © photo by Tara Simpson Huie
Read Wing Young Huie's remarks.
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 Sean Kershaw has been president of the Citizens League since 2003. During his tenure, Kershaw has revitalized the public policy organization by working collaboratively with public leaders and other civic organizations to offer opportunities for policy discussions, problem solving, and innovative partnerships. Prior to joining the Citizens League, Kershaw was deputy director for the City of Saint Paul's Department of Planning and Economic Development (PED), where he had worked for 11 years. He also is a founding member of Civics Incorporated, a young-adult civic leadership program that is affiliated with the Minnesota Active Citizenship Initiative.
Read Sean Kershaw's remarks. |
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