For Immediate Release
November 25, 2008
For More Information Contact:
Ed Shelleby
(202) 662-3602
Washington, D.C. — U.S. News Media Group, one of the nation’s leading sources of news analysis and service journalism, in association with the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School (CPL), released the 2008 edition of America’s Best Leaders. Included on this year’s list is CDF President, Marian Wright Edelman, honored for her achievements in the work of child advocacy.
“I am flattered and very thankful for being included among such amazing and hardworking individuals,” said CDF President, Marian Wright Edelman. “In all of my work I never thought I was breaking a glass ceiling. I just had to do what I had to do, and it never occurred to me not to. I hope my peers and fellow awardees inspire the next generation of leaders to step up and make a difference.”
Featuring some of the country’s most visionary individuals, the Best Leaders issue highlights professionals who continue to offer optimism and hope through their work, even as public confidence in leadership continues to drop, as reported in recent polling results released by CPL.
“Even though Americans have lost confidence in current leadership, over the past year they have had unique opportunities to observe and debate the qualities of strong leaders,” said Brian Kelly, editor of U.S. News & World Report. “Consider Marian Wright Edelman’s advocacy for the disadvantaged, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s work in transforming the field of medicine and public health, Lance Armstrong’s fight to inspire and empower cancer patients. These leaders demonstrate innovation and perseverance at an important time in the nation’s history.”
Other awardees include:
- Lance Armstrong, Retired Cyclist; Founder, Lance Armstrong Foundation (Austin, TX)
- Jeff Bezos, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Amazon.com (Seattle)
- Benjamin Carson, M.D., Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore)
- Manuel Diaz, Mayor, City of Miami (Miami)
- Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (Bethesda, MD)
- Robert Gates, Ph.D., United States Secretary of Defense (Washington, D.C.)
- Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., Economist; Author; Director; UN Millennium Project, the Earth Institute, Columbia University (New York)
- Steven Spielberg, Director and Producer; Founder, Universal, DreamWorks, The Shoah Foundation (California)
In a collaborative effort between U.S. News and Harvard’s CPL, the leaders were selected by a nonpartisan and independent committee, convened and organized by the Center, without the participation of U.S. News editors. The selection criteria used by the committee in choosing the honorees included the ability to set direction, achieve results and cultivate a culture of growth.
About the Center for Public Leadership
Established in 2000 through a generous gift from the Wexner Foundation, the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School provides cutting-edge teaching and research as well as hands-on training in the skills of leadership for people in government, nonprofits and business. For more information, go to: www.hks.harvard.edu/leadership
About the U.S. News Media Group
The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes U.S. News & World Report magazine, http://www.usnews.com/, and http://www.rankingsandreviews.com/. Focusing on health, money & business, education, and public service/opinion, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News Media Group’s signature franchises include its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its “America’s Best” series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, health plans and more.