2007 Eisenhower Leadership Dinner Video

The Eisenhower Institute and Gettysburg College awarded its 2007 Eisenhower Leadership Prize to James A. Baker, III. In addition, the 2007 Eisenhower Distinguished Public Service Award was awarded to Susan G. Baker. The awards were presented at the Institute's annual dinner April 4 in Washington, D.C.

"The Board of Directors of the Institute is delighted to recognize two of our nation's most distinguished and dedicated public servants, who just happen to know each other quite well: Secretary James Baker, for his prominent and successful career in government service; and his wife, Susan Baker, for her truly inspiring work on behalf of the homeless," said John F.W. Rogers, managing director of Goldman Sachs and dinner chairman.

James Baker's long, distinguished career in public service has spanned nearly three decades and six different presidential administrations. He has served in senior government positions on three separate occasions, most prominently as the 61st Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush and as the 67th Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan.
Among countless honors, he has received the Department of Treasury's Alexander Hamilton Award and the Department of State's Distinguished Service Award. In 1991, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has also long been active in the trenches of American presidential politics, leading the campaigns for Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush, also serving as White House Chief of Staff to Presidents Reagan and Bush. Most recently, Baker led the Iraq Study Group through a comprehensive examination of United States policies in Iraq and achieved consensus recommendations from the diverse membership of his commission. He has just been named co-chair of the bi-partisan National War Powers Commission.

Susan Baker is best known for her ceaseless and inspirational work to end homelessness. In 1983, Mrs. Baker co-founded the National Alliance to End Homelessness, which remains to this day one of the leading public policy voices on the issue of homelessness in our world. She currently stands as the Alliance's co-chair of the board. Mrs. Baker also serves on the Advisory Board of the Houston Food Bank and on the Board of Trustees of the Enterprise Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping create low-income housing opportunities for our nation's impoverished.

Established in 1992, The Eisenhower Leadership Prize and the Distinguished Public Service Award are given by the Eisenhower Institute to recognize individuals whose lifetime accomplishments reflect Dwight D. Eisenhower's legacy of integrity and leadership. Honorary co-chairs for this year's dinner include former President George H.W. Bush, General Brent Scowcroft, Secretary William Cohen and Secretary Robert Rubin, among others.

Past recipients of the Eisenhower Leadership Prize include U.S. President George H.W. Bush; U.S. Senators John McCain, Richard Lugar, Ted Stevens, Pat Roberts and Sam Nunn; Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lloyd Bentsen; Generals Colin Powell and Brent Scowcroft; and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel. Past recipients of the Distinguished Public Service Award include Tom Brokaw and Grover Washington, Jr.

Honoring the legacy of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Eisenhower Institute, founded in 1983, helps prepare the successor generations to perfect the promise of the nation through engagement in distinctive programs of leadership and public policy. It is a non-profit, non-partisan center for leadership and public policy with offices in Washington, DC, and in Gettysburg, PA. Further details about the Eisenhower Institute and its programs may be found at www.eisenhowerinstitute.org.