Awards, May 31, 2001

The following awards have been presented for work in management, philanthropy, and volunteerism:

Corporate giving. President Bush and the Conference Board have named the recipients of this year’s Ron Brown Awards for Corporate Leadership:

— Alcoa (Pittsburgh) for its safety program, which reduced workplace injuries to less than one-tenth the U.S. average, and for providing small grants worldwide to communities with Alcoa plants to buy emergency and rescue equipment and receive safety and emergency training.

— Merck & Company (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) for the Merck Institute for Science Education, which conducts programs to improve teachers’ knowledge of science, provides curriculum materials, and advocates government policies that promote science education.

— United Parcel Service of America (Atlanta) for its Welfare to Work program, a nationwide effort with government, social-service, and nonprofit groups that has helped 35,000 former welfare recipients become employed at the company.

The United Way of America (Alexandria, Va.) presented Nationwide (Columbus, Ohio) its Spirit of America Award, United Way’s highest national honor for corporate philanthropy. In 2000, Nationwide employees and retirees pledged more than $5-million to the 2000 United Way campaign. Those pledges will be matched by the Nationwide Foundation and donated to United Ways across the country. Employees also donated almost 17 percent of the blood supply of Franklin County, Ohio, and participated in many other volunteer activities.

Three companies also received United Way’s Summit Awards honoring excellence in corporate giving in specific categories: FedEx Corporation (Memphis) for employee campaigns, major gifts, and volunteer programs; Holland & Knight (Tampa, Fla.) for corporate contributions and employee campaigns; and United Parcel Service of America (Atlanta) for employee campaigns, major gifts, and volunteer programs.

The Lawyers Alliance for New York named three law firms and 13 lawyers in New York as recipients of its 2001 Cornerstone Awards recognizing superior volunteer service to nonprofit organizations. Rosenman & Colin, Sullivan & Cromwell, and White & Case were honored for their firm-wide commitments to pro bono service. Individual recipients were: Werner S. Achatz, an associate at Reed Smith; Norwood P. Beveridge Jr., a partner at Lovells; Noreen M. English, an associate at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue; Elise S. Frejka, an associate at Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman; Adam D. Gale, an associate at Debevoise & Plimpton; Ralph A. Gerra Jr., a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Amy D. Hundert, a paralegal at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Rene A. Kathawala, an associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Cynthia A. Steinmetz, employment counsel at Toys R Us; Donnell E. Suares, counsel at Viacom; and jointly to Christine M. Kim, a partner, Leila A. Finucane, an associate, and Stephen H. Weinstein, senior corporate associate, at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher.

Education fund raising. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (Washington) recently presented several awards:

— The 2001 James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education went to the KPMG Foundation (Montvale, N.J.) and its president, Bernard Milano. Under Mr. Milano’s leadership, the foundation has supported efforts to improve accounting education, diversity, and student volunteerism. The group’s Ph.D. Project has helped increase the number of minority business professors by 70 percent in the past seven years.

— The 2001 Ernest L. Stewart Award for Alumni Volunteer Involvement went to Stanley Gault, chairman of the board of Avon Products (New York) and former chief executive officer of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company (Akron, Ohio), for his work as a trustee at the College of Wooster (Ohio). During his 29 years as a trustee, Mr. Gault has served as chairman of the board and as national chairman of two fund-raising campaigns.

— The 2001 Frank L. Ashmore Award for Service to CASE and the Advancement Profession was presented to Ray Footman, director of communications and public affairs at the U. of Edinburgh (Scotland). Mr. Footman was a founding trustee of CASE Europe, served on the CASE International Board, and helped to develop the Higher Education External Relations Association.

— The new Commonfund Institutionally Related Foundation Awards were presented to individuals who have contributed to their own foundations as well as the larger community of foundations affiliated with universities. The winners in the three categories were Curtis R. Simic, president of the Indiana University Foundation (Bloomington), for professional leadership at a foundation with more than $100-million in total assets; John E. Clinton, executive vice president and chief executive of the Shippensburg University Foundation (Pa.), for professional leadership at a foundation with total assets less than $100-million; and Eric B. Wentworth, retired director of government relations and director of the National Clearinghouse for Institutionally Related Foundations at CASE, who won the Service Award for an individual not primarily employed at a college or university’s foundation.

Leadership. Independent Sector (Washington) has presented its 2001 John W. Gardner Leadership Award to Rebecca Adamson, founder and president of the First Nations Development Institute (Fredericksburg, Va.), which offers technical assistance and microenterprise loans to American Indians. The award is supported by the William Randolph Hearst Foundations and carries a $10,000 prize.