Laureate

2015

John R. Lewis

Civil Rights Icon
& U.S. Representative,
Georgia's 5th Congressional District

The 2015 IQLA Laureate is John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon and U.S. Representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional Distric. Often called "one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced," John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls "The Beloved Community” in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress.

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Past IQLA laureates represent such diverse fields as economics, business, public policy, medicine, social justice, and the world of music and entertainment. Included among the list of distinguished former recipients are:

2014

Maria Rodale

Chairman and CEO, Rodale Inc.

2013

Howard G. Buffet

President, The Howard G. Buffet Foundation

2012

Alastair J. S. Summerlee

President & Vice Chancellor

University of Guelph

2011

Fred Smith

Founder, Chairman, President, & CEO FedEx

2010

PBS

Public Service Media Organization

2009

Nancy Brinker

Ambassador and Founding Chair

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

2008

Teresa Heinz

Philanthropists & Sustainability Activist

2007

Ray C. Anderson

Chairman and Founder, Interface, Inc.

2006

Dr. Norman Ernest Borlaug

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

and Founder of the World Food Prize

2005

Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority

Public Benefit Corporation

New York, New York

2004

Ratan N. Tata

Chairman, Tata Group, Mumbai, India

2003

Alabama

Award Winning Music Group

2002

Madeleine K. Albright

64th U.S. Secretary of State

2001

Dr. Jack B. McConnell

Founder and CEO, Volunteers in Medicine

2000

Millard D. Fuller

Founder and President, Habitat for Humanity International

1999

Arthur C. Martinez

Chairman and CEO, Sears, Roebuck & Co.

1998

Vincent E. "Bo" Jackson

Entrepreneur, Youth Activist, and Heisman Trophy Winner

1998

Desmond Mpilo Tutu

Nobel Peace Prize and

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa

1997

Robert D. Haas

Chairman and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co.

1996

William R. Howell

Chairman, J.C. Penny Company, Inc.

1995

Elmer B. Harris

President and CEO, Alabama Power Company

1995

Lawrence R. Klein

Nobel Prize Laureate and

Benjamin Franklin Professor of Economics and Finace,

University of Pennsylvania

1995

Don Logan

President and CEO, Time Inc.

1994

John C. Adams

President, Chairman, and CEO, Russell Corporation

1994

Catherine Bertini

Executive Director, United Nations World Food Programme