Collins and Palmisano Honored at the 2007 Leadership Awards Dinner

Date: May 24, 2007
Location: Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.
Honorees: Samuel J. Palmisano, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of the IBM Corporation, and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

A crowd of nearly 300 Washingtonians gathered at D.C.’s Ritz-Carlton on May 24th to celebrate government innovation and to honor two great Americans. The occasion was the Private Sector Council’s 22nd annual Leadership Awards Dinner, and the honorees at this event were U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Sam Palmisano, Chairman, President and CEO, of the IBM Corporation.

For more than 20 years, the PSC Leadership Awards program has recognized the contributions of top government and business leaders to improving the business of government and fostering cross-sector partnerships to address some of government’s toughest challenges. Previous honorees of this prestigious award include Senator George Voinovich, Representative Jane Harman, Frank Carlucci, Senator Joseph Lieberman, Vice President Dick Cheney and Samuel J. Heyman. This year’s award recipients are equally impressive.

In her capacity as the Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Public Sector Leadership Award winner Susan Collins was a leading architect of legislation passed to reform the intelligence community, resulting in the most comprehensive reform in 50 years. During her lifetime in public service, Collins has reorganized FEMA, strengthened port and chemical security, and championed education and healthcare reforms. She began her career on Capitol Hill as legislative assistant to then U.S. Senator William Cohen also of Maine.

Private Sector Leadership Award recipient Sam Palmisano has demonstrated a strong personal commitment to not only to his company, but his country. As the head of IBM, he has lent expertise to help to fuel innovation in our federal government. Specifically, through IBM’s Center for the Business of Government which provides cutting edge knowledge to government leaders, stimulates research and facilitates discussion of new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government in the United States and across the world. He has been recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the 10 “Most Powerful People in Business.”

The highlight of the evening came when President George H. W. Bush shared his kind words and thoughts on both Sam Palmisano and Senator Susan Collins. During the tribute video for Senator Collins, President Bush said, “You exemplify the best in public service. I am proud that you are my senator five months out of the year.” President Bush went on to say, “Thanks to Sam Palmisano’s leadership, IBM brings about real change. Under [Mr. Palmisano's] leadership, IBM has become the type of corporate citizen America needs more of.”

The evening was hosted by Beth Brooke of Ernst and Young, who spoke about her first hand knowledge of the importance of public-private partnerships. Brooke was joined on stage by Samuel J. Heyman, Chairman of International Specialty Products, and Dugan Shipway, President of Bath Iron Works, who introduced and presented the awards to Palmisano and Collins.

Both honorees acknowledged the significant contributions of their staffs to their success and shared remarks that reminded all in attendance why they stood at the podium. They emphasized the importance of good government and sound leadership and reaffirmed their commitment to helping government serve the American people.

Beth Brooke closed the evening by asking all attendees to recommit themselves to the spirit of public service. Brooke said, “As you leave here, please think about how important government is in your lives and the lives of others, and think about ways that you can make a difference. As John F. Kennedy once said, ‘One person can make a difference and every person should try.’”

 

© 2007 Partnership for Public Service