Press Contact: Ryan McKenna

Phone: (202) 691-4217

ryan.mckenna@wilsoncenter.org

WASHINGTON – On September 30, 2020 the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Chaired by Governor Bill Haslam, will present The Woodrow Wilson Awards to The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin, Her Excellency Christine M. Lagarde, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) at a dinner and ceremony at The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

All four will be awarded The Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. Secretary Mnuchin, Senator Crapo and Congressman Meeks will receive their awards at the event while President Lagarde, unable to attend due to travel restrictions, will receive her award remotely.

The 2020 Wilson Awards Dinner will be co-chaired by Glenn and Suzanne Youngkin; Larry Di Rita, Greater Washington, D.C. Market President for Bank of America; and Kenneth Slater and the Slater Family, Principal of Tremont Partners, Co-Chair of the Wilson National Cabinet and Member of the Global Advisory Council.  

Secretary Mnuchin is responsible for the U.S. Treasury, whose mission is to maintain a strong economy and to foster economic growth. He is being recognized for his role in creating vital economic legislation during the pandemic.

In July 2011, President Lagarde was elected the 11th Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was the first woman to hold that position. Since November of 2019 she has served as President of the European Central Bank, and is the first woman to hold that position. She is being recognized for her work in the fight against climate change and for gender equality.

Both Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) as Chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and Congressman Greg Meeks (D-NY) as Chair on the Subcommittee on Consumer Protections & Financial Institutions are receiving their award because they recognize the need for bipartisanship in crafting legislation to provide relief to those suffering from hardships during the pandemic.

The Woodrow Wilson Awards are 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.

Previous recipients of the Woodrow Wilson Award include former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretaries of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, General Colin Powell, Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Rex Tillerson, and former Secretaries of Defense Ash Carter and Chuck Hagel, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ambassador Nikki Haley.

This event will be available to media via Zoom. Please RSVP to Ryan McKenna with your name, title and outlet at ryan.mckenna@wilsoncenter.org.