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‘A Day to Celebrate Public

The Maxwell School celebrated four champions of public service at the inaugural Awards of Excellence in Washington, D.C.

BY JESSICA YOUNGMAN

Helene Gayle received the Maxwell School’s inaugural Spirit of Public Service Award during an Awards of Excellence event in Washington, D.C., on a momentous day: Just hours earlier and only a few miles away, on Thursday, April 7, Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“To be able to get this award on the same day as a historic vote to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America—it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Gayle, who was met with applause and cheering from an audience of Maxwell alumni, faculty, staff and friends. “This is truly a day to celebrate public service in all of its forms and all of its facets.”

Gayle, who was recently appointed president of Spelman College in Atlanta, was one of four honorees celebrated at the first annual event, held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)—home to the school’s Washington, D.C., programs. The event was emceed by Maxwell Advisory Board member and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Donna Shalala ’70 M.S.Sc./’70 Ph.D. (SSc)/’87 Hon., who previously served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Shalala called Gayle an “extraordinary public servant.” An expert on global development, humanitarian and health issues, Gayle served as president and chief executive officer of The Chicago Community Trust for five years. She is set to begin the Spelman post in July. She previously led the international humanitarian organization CARE, spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, and directed programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has received 18 honorary degrees, recently received the Chicago Mayor’s Medal of Honor for her work on COVID relief and recovery, and she has been named one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women.”

In addition to Gayle, Maxwell honored alumni: Ken Auletta ’65 M.A. (PSc), Keome Rowe ’16 M.P.A./M.A.

Maxwell Advisory Board member and former U.S. Rep.

Donna Shalala ’70

M.S.Sc./’70 Ph.D. (SSc)/’87 Hon., is shown on the left, with, honorees

Helene Gayle and Keome Rowe ’16

M.P.A./M.A. (IR), James ’98 M.P.A. and Susan Willie ’98

M.P.A., and Dean David M. Van Slyke.

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