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| 2007 PUBLIC LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS
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 John C. Danforth represented the State of Missouri in the U.S. Senate from 1976 to 1995. During his tenure he served on top committees including the Committee on Finance; Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and the Select Committee on Intelligence. In 2004, he was nominated to serve as President Bush’s Representative to the United Nations. He held this post until he resigned in 2005 and rejoined the international law firm Bryan Cave LLP as a partner in its St. Louis office. In addition to building a strong political and legal career, Danforth serves as an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church. His religious and political views come together in his most recent book Faith and Politics: How the “Moral Values” Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together.
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 Josie R. Johnson has been a civil rights advocate since she could walk around the neighborhood and knock on doors. In the early 1960s, Johnson lobbied professionally for fair housing and employment opportunities. Over the years, she has worked with elected officials, educators, and business leaders to build diverse relationships and increase opportunities for underprivileged, underserved populations. She has been active in numerous organizations working for social awareness and justice, such as the Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Harriet Tubman Center. Johnson helped establish the Minnesota State Human Rights Department and served on the national board of directors of the League of Women Voters. She served as the first African-American on the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents from 1971 to 1973, and it was during her tenure that the Board created the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. |
 Eugene C. Sit founded Sit Investment Associates (SIA) in 1981 and remains chairman, CEO, and global chief investment officer for SIA and its various investment companies. Sit is very active in the investment industry and in community affairs. He is the founder and director of the Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF), a non-partisan fundraising initiative that benefits soldiers who have served in combat since September 2001. Since its launch in 2005, nearly $5.5 million has been raised and distributed to 3,148 soldiers and 26 families whose loved ones were killed in combat. His community involvement also reaches the arts and higher education. Among his obligations, he currently serves as a trustee of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management’s international programs and the dean’s Board of Visitors for the University of Minnesota Medical School. |
 Harlan Cleveland has enjoyed a long career in public service, international affairs, global aid relief, and education. He began his career in the 1940s as an economic warfare specialist in Washington, D.C. He later served as assistant secretary of state for International Organization Affairs in the administration of President John F. Kennedy, and in 1965 he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as U.S. Ambassador to NATO, serving in that post until 1969. He brought his international experience to higher education and eventually served as the founding dean of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Among his many awards, Cleveland received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor for meritorious service, in recognition of his commitment and dedication to this country.
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 Founded in 1983, the Women's Foundation of Minnesota is the oldest and second largest statewide women's foundation in the nation, and remains the only grantmaking organization in Minnesota dedicated exclusively to growing equality for women and girls. The foundation funds community projects that benefit young women, organizes research efforts addressing women’s issues, and advocates for social change. The organization involves young women at all levels of leadership—four of its 35 trustees are under 35—and organizational leaders foster a commitment to educate and inform others of the importance of this investment. The foundation also includes young girls (ages 10 to 18) in the grantmaking advisory committee for statewide girls’ programming.
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