WASHINGTON – The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars will present awards to four leading Austin citizens at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin on December 6, 2011.

Joe R. Long and Dr. Teresa Lozano Long will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, and National Instruments Co-Founders Jeff Kodosky and Dr. James Truchard will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.

I. Craig Hester, of Hester Capital Management will serve as dinner chair and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a former recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service, is the honorary dinner co-chair.

The Woodrow Wilson Award is given to those individuals whose actions and accomplishments, either in their careers or through service, reflect President Woodrow Wilson’s belief that “there is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.” Such individuals have been recognized worldwide by The Wilson Center since 1998.

“In their steadfast commitment to enhancing the quality of life for citizens of all ages, particularly through education and the arts, all four honorees reflect the values of President Wilson and The Wilson Center,” said Jane Harman, director, president and CEO of The Wilson Center. “Joe and Dr. Teresa Lozano Long’s work with the Long Foundation and the University of Texas, Austin displays exemplary dedication to working for the common good, while Jeff Kodosky and Dr. James Truchard are helping to ensure that students receive a rigorous math and science education through their involvement in STEM educational programs.”

Joe Long and Dr. Teresa Lozano Long are committed to improving the quality of life for the Austin-community and the nation.  Dr. Long began her career as a teacher, and later served in the U.S. Office of Education on Migrant Education and the Head Start Program. Dr. Long is also a member of the National Advisory Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Chancellor’s Council of the University of Texas, the Board of Trustees of the Interscholastic League Foundation, and was presidentially appointed to the National Council on the Arts. After serving the United States Army in the Korean War, Mr. Long joined the Office of the Attorney General in Austin and later entered the banking industry, founding the First State and National Banks, which he sold in 1998.  Mr. Long serves as President of The Austin Symphony Orchestra Society and as a member of the Chancellor’s Council at the University of Texas.  Together, the Longs established the Long Foundation to support the arts, higher education, and medical advancement.  They have revitalized Palmer Auditorium – which is today the Joe R. and Terry Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts; created the University of Texas’ (UT) Institute of Latin American Studies Program; established scholarship funds at UT; and founded the Long Career Launch Program at UT’s School of Law.  Furthermore, the Longs have given the largest single gift in institutional history to the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, in support of faculty and student research.  Organizations, including the Ballet Austin, Austin Museum of Art, and Mexic-ARTE are just a few of the beneficiaries of their work.

Jeff Kodosky and Dr. James Truchard created National Instruments (NI), which has been recognized as one of the twenty-five companies to work for in the world on "The World's Best Multinational Workplaces" by FORTUNE magazine and Great Place to Work® Institute. Mr. Kodosky and Dr. James Truchard invented NI LabVIEW system design software, the company’s signature platform used in creating life-altering technologies as well as teaching robotics programs. National Instruments is dedicated to philanthropy and volunteerism, specifically focusing on education initiatives. Through its collaboration with FIRST student robotics programs, the LEGO® Group, and universities worldwide, the company has engaged students with technology in a fun, hands-on learning environment, encouraging students to become future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Mr. Kodosky cofounded UTeach in collaboration with UT at Austin to better prepare secondary STEM teachers. He currently serves on the UT College of Natural Science Advisory Council, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Trustees, the Texas State University Math Department Advisory Group, the Association for Computing Machinery and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He also serves on the board of the Austin Lyric Opera and was past chairman of the Austin Community Foundation. Dr. Truchard is a member of the Engineering Foundation Advisory Council and is actively involved with UT Austin.  In 2005, he was asked by Governor Perry to chair the Texas STEM Industry Advisory Council, which addresses the declining interest and preparation of young people pursuing careers in technical fields. In 2007, Dr. Truchard was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering, what is widely considered to be the highest honor given in the engineering profession. He was also named The University of Texas Distinguished Engineering Graduate in 2004 and in 2003, he was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the national, living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson.  The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. Created by an Act of Congress in 1968, The Wilson Center is a non-partisan institution headquartered in Washington, D.C. and supported by both public and private funds.

The Honorable Joseph B. Gildenhorn is chairman of the Wilson Center’s Board of Trustees, and previously served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland (1983–1993). At the beginning of March Jane Harman, director, president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center, retired from her role as U.S. Representative of California’s aerospace center after nine terms, to lead the Woodrow Wilson Center. During her tenure in Congress, she served on all the major security committees: Armed Services, Intelligence, and Homeland Security. Harman received the Defense Department Medal for Distinguished Service in 1998, the CIA Seal Medal in 2007, and the National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Medal earlier this year. Prior to serving in Congress, she was a top aide in the United States Senate, Deputy Cabinet Secretary to President Jimmy Carter, Special Counsel to the Department of Defense, and in private law practice.

Ray Almgren, Kerry Cammack, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, The Honorable Lloyd Doggett, Cliff Ernst, Joe Holt, James Huffines, Dan Matheson, Forrest Roan, Eddie Safady, John Schweitzer, Marc Seriff, Bruce Todd, The Honorable Kirk Watson and Pete Winstead will serve on the Dinner Host Committee of this event.