The Congressional Award is an award given by Congress to

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

aged 14 to 23. The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

founded the program in 1979 to "recognize initiative, service and achievements of young people." The Congressional Award is

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

, voluntary and non-competitive. The Congressional Award is awarded to recognize the setting and meeting of goals in four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. Based on time commitments to each of the areas, participants earn bronze, silver, or gold Congressional Award certificates and bronze, silver, or gold Congressional Award medals. The Congressional Award was written into law on November 16, 1979, by ''Public Law 96-114, The Congressional Award Act''. The enabling legislation was sponsored by Senator

Malcolm Wallop Malcolm Wallop (February 27, 1933 – September 14, 2011) was an American rancher and politician. He served as a United States Senator from Wyoming from 1977 to 1995. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early years Wallop was born at Doct ...

of Wyoming and Congressman

James J. Howard James John Howard (July 24, 1927 – March 25, 1988) was an American educator and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1965 until his death from a h ...

of New Jersey. The Congressional Award is a

public–private partnership A public–private partnership (PPP, 3P, or P3) is a long-term arrangement between a government and private sectors, private sector institutions.Hodge, G. A and Greve, C. (2007), Public–Private Partnerships: An International Performance Revie ...

officially registered as a

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non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, funded entirely by private-sector donations. As a

legal entity In law, a legal person is any person or legal entity that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, lawsuit, sue and be sued, ownership, own property, and so on. The reason for the term "''le ...

, the award is a public–private partnership, and its status as a nonprofit organization makes it Congress's only charity. As of September 2011, according to the Congressional Award Foundation, more than 50,000 youths had registered as participants. The Congressional Award is one of Congress's two awards specifically for youths, the other being the Congressional Medal of Merit.

The Congressional Award program

Once a youth registers for the program online or by mail, they receive a record book to track their progress in the program’s four key areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. All youth must register with the Congressional Award to receive their official record books, which must be completed and submitted to earn the award. When a youth has achieved their goals in each program area, and met the necessary requirements for each, they then submit the completed record book to the national office where it is reviewed. The youth will then be notified either that they have been approved, or that they need to provide additional information. The national office works with each youth individually.

The four program areas

The four key program areas of the Congressional Award are voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. The emphasis on four diverse program areas is intended to mold a well-rounded youth. These areas resemble those of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Voluntary public service

Sharing time and talents for the benefit of others is an important part of the Congressional Award program. This requires sensitivity, perception of need, determination, perseverance and dedication. Voluntary Public Service activities must be performed without pay, compensation or school credit. Service provided to fulfill graduation requirements may be allowed. Youth should provide a direct service, rather than focus on issues. When setting your goals, identify activities that benefit the community at large. Youth may submit a maximum of four different goals (See Goals) per Record Book for Voluntary Public Service.

Personal development

The purpose of the personal development category is to expand youths’ horizons while developing individual interests, social and life skills. The Congressional Award challenges youth to pursue a new interest or advance to a higher level in an ongoing interest through Personal Development activities. Youth may submit a maximum of two different goals per record book for personal development.

Physical fitness

Physical well-being is another important part of the Congressional Award. The purpose is for youth to improve their quality of life through participation in fitness activities. The Congressional Award challenges youth to set and achieve a measurable physical fitness goal. Goals can involve an activity that the youth has never attempted before or it can be a continuation of a familiar activity at a higher level. Both team sports and individual activities are acceptable so long as the activities lead to an improved performance or greater physical health. Gym class is not acceptable for physical fitness. Youth may submit a maximum of two different goals per record book for physical fitness.

Expedition/exploration

The Congressional Award allows youth to choose between an expedition or an exploration. The aim of an expedition or exploration should be to develop a spirit of adventure and discovery. Organizing, planning, training and completing the expedition or exploration requires self-reliance, determination, and cooperation. The expedition or exploration is a one-time experience that youth plan and execute themselves. It is not an event planned by someone else that youth attend. "Sign up and go" activities such as jamborees, conferences, sport and summer camps, leadership workshops, cruises, college visits, mission trips, competitions, retreats, and orientations are not appropriate for the Congressional Award expedition/exploration. Youth should learn to be responsible for themselves while learning more about our world through first-hand experience in the wilderness or in a new and different culture. Activities completed on an expedition or exploration may only be counted in the expedition/exploration category of the award—activities completed on an expedition or exploration cannot be counted toward voluntary public service, personal development, or physical fitness. Expeditions are typically outdoor excursions that include camping, hiking, and wilderness or outdoor activities. This activity usually compels youth to forgo the comforts of home and learn to pack and prepare equipment, set up a tent, and cook food without modern conveniences. Youth may choose to incorporate a scientific study into their expedition like completing a wildlife survey while on a backpacking trip in a national park or searching for signs of prehistoric life in a remote area. Explorations are trips that provide youth with a new cultural experience. These may include living on a farm, traveling to a foreign country, visiting a historical site, or exploring a new environment. Explorations involve preliminary research and preparation. Challenges may include language barriers, traveling great distances, or learning new skills.

Values-added partnerships

The Congressional Award is a values-added program, meaning that youth can count many of the activities they are already involved with toward portions of the Congressional Award. This option has been further enriched through the Congressional Award Foundation's partnerships with various youth-related programs. Activities that can count toward portions of the Congressional Award include: *

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

* AmeriCorps NCCC *

ASPCA The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective mea ...

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to "create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth". Adult volunteers are matched with children from ag ...

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has i ...

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressional charter, congressionally chartered, federally supported Nonprofit corporation, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliaries, auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CA ...

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, a year after she ...

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...

* High school or college sports/clubs outside of the regular school day * HOBY *

People to People International People to People International (PTPI) was a program established on September 11, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as part of the United States Information Agency. After President Eisenhower left the office of President in 1961, he arranged ...

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

Although youth can apply their time in these programs toward the Congressional Award, youth cannot count hours from before their registration. The Congressional Award is not about recognizing past accomplishments, but about goal-setting and achieving those goals.

Goals

Youth complete the program through the pursuit and achievement of goals set entirely by themselves. Goals should be broad statements of what youth hope to achieve. Similar activities may be combined to achieve one goal. Youth often set “umbrella goals” —activities that have an underlying connection or similarity— that helps achieve to allow themselves the freedom to complete more than one activity in pursuit of their goal. Goals should not be too broad, however. They must meet the requirements in the Record Book— they need to be worthwhile, measurable, challenging, fulfilling and achievable. Advisors and Validators assist in the goal-setting process.

Month and hour requirements

The Congressional Award requires youth to complete a set number of hours in each program area, varying on the certificate or medal level being pursued. Youth work at their own pace and may begin at any level. Youth earn all previous awards if they earn any higher levels. No partial awards are given; youth must complete each of the four program area requirements for each level (i.e.- youth cannot, for example, earn a bronze medal in personal development and a silver medal in physical fitness). In addition to hour requirements, the Congressional Award also has set minimum months of activity needed for each of the main three program areas. The month requirements are meant to foster a lifestyle of service, rather than a short time of volunteerism. ;Certificate levels: : ;Medal levels: :

Congressional Award national events

The Congressional Award is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

that does not receive any funding from the federal government. Instead, they hold several fundraising events to support the program, most notably: The Congressional Award Chiefs of Staff Annual Golf Classic and The Congressional Award Chiefs of Staff Charity Poker Event. The Congressional Awards' largest event is the annual gold medal ceremony, held in the

US Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

. The June ceremony celebrates the accomplishments of gold medalists, bringing them together from across the country for a presentation of their Congressional Award gold medal by their member of Congress. Due to the large number of medalists, there are usually two ceremonies on Capitol Hill on the gold medal day. Accompanying the gold medal ceremony is the gold nation experience, an opportunity for gold medalists to create new relationships with other outstanding youth from across the country. The optional program provides medalists with an opportunity to come to Washington, D.C. and see the city together. The gold nation experience usually runs from the week of the gold ceremony until the day after. The cost of the gold nation experience is greatly discounted to medalists due to the fundraising efforts of the Congressional Award Foundation. However, medalists must provide their own transportation to Washington. The gold medal ceremony also commemorates adults and their participation in youth fund raising and volunteering.

History

The Congressional Award was created in 1979 with the passage of the

Congressional Award Act The Congressional Award is an award given by Congress to Americans aged 14 to 23. The United States Congress founded the program in 1979 to "recognize initiative, service and achievements of young people." The Congressional Award is nonpartisan, ...

. Since then, the Act has had to be reauthorized to extend the Act's termination date. On July 23, 2013, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced the

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 The Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2013 () is a bill that was introduced into the United States Senate during the 113th United States Congress. The bill would reauthorize the Congressional Award Act of 1979 by once again exte ...

which would again extend the termination date of the program, pushing it from October 1, 2013, to October 1, 2018. According to the

Congressional Budget Office The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. I ...

'
report on S. 1348
the Congressional Award Foundation received no federal appropriated funds, but did receive free office space in a Congressional office building and did not have to pay for the medals produced by the U.S. Mint. On September 24, 2018, Rep. David Brat (R-VA) introduced H.R. 6862:

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2018 A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

. On September 26, 2018, Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced S. 2309, the corresponding Senate bill. On October 11, 2018, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

signe
S. 3509
which retroactively reauthorizes the Congressional Award Board, effective October 1, 2018, until October 1, 2023, which administers the Congressional Awards Program.

Other awards

The Horizon Award

The Horizon Award is a special recognition from the Joint Leadership Commission of the Congressional Award Foundation and its board of directors. The Horizon Award is presented to individuals from the private sector who have contributed to expanding opportunities for all Americans through their own personal contributions, and who have set exceptional examples for young people through their own successes in life. These recipients have truly forged ahead, establishing noble horizons to which our youth can aspire. Past recipients include: * 1997

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Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations fo ...

* 1998

Leeza Gibbons Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for ''Entertainment Tonight'' (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, ''Leeza'' (1993– ...

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Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is a co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a part-owner of Orlando City SC of Major League ...

* 1999

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

, Judith Hale * 2000

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played center (basketball), center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). L ...

* 2001

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* 2002

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* 2003 Art Monk, Charles Mann * 2007 Lauren Nelson * 2008

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is sec ...

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* 2009

Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American comedian, television presenter, actor, and rapper. In television, he began his career as a teenager on Nickelodeon's '' All That'' before going on to host '' The Nick Cannon Show'', '' ...

Jimmie Lee Solomon Jimmie Lee Solomon (March 11, 1956October 8, 2020) was an American lawyer and baseball executive. He served as the executive vice president of baseball operations in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2005 to 2010, before going on to serve as the ...

* 2010 Michael Oher * 2011

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* 2012

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Debbie Dingell Deborah Ann Dingell ( ; ; November 23, 1953) is an American politician serving as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015, representing the state's Michigan's 6th congressional district, 6th congres ...

* 2013

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

, Tony Horton * 2014

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* 2015

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* 2016

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, Cal Ripken Jr. * 2017 Chris Doleman * 2018

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The Wallop Howard Leadership Award

The Wallop Howard Leadership Award is presented annually to individuals in the public sector who have displayed outstanding commitment to improving the lives of America's young people and providing critical support in the Congressional Award Foundation’s efforts to make the Congressional Award a national opportunity. The Leadership Award is presented by the Congressional Award Joint Leadership Commission, composed of The Speaker and Minority Leader of the House and Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate. Past recipients include: * 1994 President and Mrs.

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, Senator

, Congressman James Howard * 1995 Congressman

John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space and the first to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1 ...

, Congressman Tom Bliley * 1996 His Royal Highness

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, Senator

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* 1997 Senator

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, Congressman Esteban Torres * 1998 Senator

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, Congressman Dan Schaefer * 1999 Secretary of State

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, Judith McHale * 2000 First Lady

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, Congressman

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* 2001 Congressman Donald Payne * 2002 Congressman

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* 2003 Congressional Award Chairman Thomas Campbell * 2006 Congressman Ed Pastor * 2007 Senator

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, Congressman Rush Holt * 2008 Senator and Mrs.

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, First Lady

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* 2009 Congressman

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* 2010 Senator John Culver * 2011 Governor

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, Senator

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* 2012 Senator Bob Bennett * 2013 Senator Alan Simpson, Dr.

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* 2014 Hon.

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* 2015 Hon.

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, Hon.

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, Secretary

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* 2016 Secretary William Coleman Jr., Secretary

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The Inspiration Award

The Inspiration Award is given to a Congressional Award Advisor who motivates, inspires and leads America’s youth to greatness.

Adult volunteers

Adult volunteers are an integral component of the Congressional Award. More than 10,000 adult volunteers dedicate thousands of hours to promoting a lifestyle of service. The Congressional Award is designed to bridge the gap between adolescence and adulthood. Working with adults is one way by which participants can achieve this. Most participants will work with five or more adults throughout the program: one advisor and four validators.

Advisors

Each youth selects one adult to serve as their advisor. Teachers, neighbors, clergy, and coaches are examples of possible advisors. The youth may select any adult to be their advisor, so long as the advisor is not a relative or a peer. The advisor meets regularly with the youth to assist him or her in goal-setting and completing the record book. The advisor must sign the youth’s record book prior to submission to the Congressional Award Foundation for review.

Validators

Validators assist the participant with individual activities within a particular program area. Validators should be knowledgeable and/or experienced in the activity being pursued. For example, if a youth’s goal and activities involved basketball, a basketball coach would make a suitable validator. Similarly, if a youth volunteers at an animal shelter, a senior employee or the volunteer coordinator would be an appropriate validator. An advisor can also serve as a validator. While not particularly common, this is appropriate if a suitable validator cannot be found. In addition to advisors and validators, countless adult volunteers promote the Congressional Award Program throughout the country.

The Congressional Award Foundation

The Congressional Award Foundation is the non-profit entity that oversees the distribution of The Congressional Award on behalf of Congress.

Board of directors

The Congressional Award Foundation's 48-member board of directors is partially appointed by the joint leadership of both parties in the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition to actively promoting the Congressional Award Program across the country, the board meets quarterly to assess the program’s growth and provide direction to the national staff. PaxtonBaker10-24-10HeadShot

National/appointed members denoted by asterisk (*) ''Executive officers'' * Chairman of the Board – Paxton K. Baker*,

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

* Vice Chairman – Shawn Whitman,

FMC Corporation FMC Corporation is an American chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which originated as an insecticide producer in 1883 and later diversified into other industries. In 1941 at the beginning of US involvemen ...

* Vice Chairman – The Honorable Rodney E. Slater,

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, LLP * Secretary – Cheryl Maddox*, Kentucky * Treasurer – Lee Klumpp, CPA, BDO USA ''Board members'' * Marc Baer* – VP, Health Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota * Simeon Banister – Commercial Real Estate Appraiser with Midland Appraisal Associates, Inc. Rochester, New York * Edward Blansitt, III – Inspector General,

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* Andy Blocker – Head of U.S. Government Affairs for

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* Romero Brown* – CEO, Container Garden Club * Anne Oswalt Bruce – Senior Director, Federal Affairs,

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...

* – California * Edward Cohen – Principal,

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* Anthony Crowell – Dean & President,

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* Kathy Didawick – VP, Congressional & Political Affairs,

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* The Honorable

* –

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, MI-12 * Mitchell Draizin* – Founder & President, Longview Capital Advisors * David Falk – Founder, F.A.M.E. * Beverly Gilyard – Director of Federal Strategy,

AARP AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those 50 and older. The organization, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., said it had more than 38 ...

* Patrick Gliha – Director, Federal Government Relations,

Celgene Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, was a pharmaceutical company that produced cancer and immunology drugs. Its primary products were Revlimid (lenalidomide), which is used in the treatment of multiple myeloma (63% of 2018 r ...

* George B. Gould – Washington, DC * Dr. Larry Green – Maryland * J. Steven Hart, Esq.* – Williams & Jensen, P.C. * Jonathan Heafitz – Assistant VP, Federal Affairs, PCMA * Erica Wheelan Heyse – National Director, The Congressional Award * Jesse Hill – Director of Regulatory Relations, Edward Jones * The Honorable Richard Hudson* – U.S. Representative, NC-08 * David W. Hunt, Esq.* – Legal Counsel * The Honorable

Johnny Isakson John Hardy Isakson (December 28, 1944 – December 19, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2005 until his resignation in 2019 following health concerns. A member of the Republi ...

* –

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, Georgia * Dr. Brian Johnson – President & CEO, Advance Higher Ed * Karlos Lasane* – VP, Government Relations, Caesars Entertainment * Christopher Leahy – VP & Head of Government Relations & Policy,

Bayer Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer' ...

* The Honorable

Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee ( Jackson; January 12, 1950 – July 19, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician who was the U.S. representative for , from 1995 until her death in 2024. The district includes most of central Houston. She was a member of ...

– U.S. Representative, TX-18 * Mateo Magdaleno* – Chief Education Officer, IDQ Group * The Honorable

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III ( ; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. He was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat until he registered as ...

* – U.S. Senator, West Virginia * Lance Mangum – Senior Federal Affairs Representative,

FedEx FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...

*Dr. Linda Mitchell – MSU Extension * Kim Norman* – Co-Owner/Consultant, G2 Secure Staff * Laura O'Connor* – Junior High Registrar,

Alpine School District Alpine School District. The district was founded in 1915, and includes all grades from kindergarten through high school (K-12). As of 2018, there were 58 elementary schools, 14 junior high schools, 11 high schools, and 9 special purpose sch ...

* Michael Pitts* – Wisconsin * Steven Roberts* – Founder & President, The Roberts Companies * Beth Ann Ruoff – member of Ogilvy PR’s Strategy and Planning Group, Washington, DC * David Schiappa* – Partner, The Duberstein Group * Karen Sessions – VP of Millennium Challenge Corporation, Texas * Michael Skahill – VP, Government Affairs,

Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter and his son, the company is the largest pig and pork producer in ...

* Chris Spear – President & CEO, American Trucking Associations * Will Stute – Partner,

McDermott Will & Emery McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm with a diversified business practice. The firm is one of the largest-grossing law firms in the United States and globally, and its lawyers represent a wide range of commercial, industrial, and f ...

, LLP * Chiling Tong* – President & CEO, National ACE * Jason Van Pelt* – Executive VP, Crossroads Strategies * Rita Vaswani* – VP & Relationship Manager,

Nevada State Bank Nevada State Bank is an American bank in the state of Nevada that is one of several brands operated by Zions Bancorporation. It was founded in 1959 and acquired by Zions Bancorporation in 1985. History Nevada State Bank first opened for busine ...

* Kathryn Weeden* – United States Senate Page School * Shawn Whitman – VP, Government Affairs,

National staff

The Congressional Award national office is located on Capitol Hill and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Congressional Award Foundation. To better meet the needs of youth, states are assigned to a geographical region—North, South, or West—with a designated program manager. The program managers work closely with advisors and youth in their region to answer any program-related questions and promote the program in their respective region. * Erica Heyse – National Director * Derek Doyle – Director of Communications and Strategic Outreach * Kirsten Gooden – Program Director * Molly Geiser – Senior Program Manager * Matt Tick – Program Manager *Bethie Woodall – Program Manager

Past financial uncertainty

The Congressional Award Foundation did experience a brief period of financial uncertainty. In a

GAO Gao (or Gawgaw/Kawkaw) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an imp ...

audit of the Congressional Award Foundation’s 2005 and 2006

financial statement Financial statements (or financial reports) are formal records of the financial activities and position of a business, person, or other entity. Relevant financial information is presented in a structured manner and in a form which is easy to un ...

s, the office identifiedFinancial Audit of the Congressional Award Foundation's fiscal years 2007 and 2006 financial statements
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529140056/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08715.pdf , date=2008-05-29 (May 2008), from the website of the

Government Accountability Office The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the s ...

:two significant matters related to the Foundation’s financial statements. These matters concerned (1) the Foundation's ability to continue as a

going concern A going concern is an accounting term for a business that is assumed will meet its financial obligations when they become due. It functions without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, which is usually regarded as at least the n ...

, which has been resolved, and (2) inconsistency between functional expenses reported in the Foundation’s annual information return (

Form 990 Form 990 (officially, the "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax") is a United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form that provides the public with information about a nonprofit organization. It is also used by government agencies t ...

) filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the audited financial statements for fiscal year 2005. The first "significant" matter referred to various problems, including a serious decline in the Foundation's assets: as of September 30, 2006 the value of the Foundation's asset had declined to under $8,500. Within a year, the asset value had grown to $125,000. The GAO also noted that the Foundation's national director paid over $23,000 to cover the costs of the Foundation's gold award ceremony during the Foundation's 2006 fiscal year; she was reimbursed for all but $664 by December 2006. The inconsistency described in the second matter was resolved in the Form 990 and audited financial statements for fiscal year 2006. Congress created the Congressional Award Fellowship Trust in 1990 to "benefit the charitable and educational purposes of the Foundation"; the Foundation withdrew $20,000 from the trust in order to support its 2007 operations. The Congressional Award has enjoyed financial stability in the subsequent years, and its proactive fundraising initiatives are working to ensure that it will never again face a budget shortfall.

References

External links

Official website

Congressional Award Act

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2009

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2013

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization Act of 2018
Awards by age of recipient Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Civil awards and decorations of the United States