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INSTITUTE SPOTLIGHT | keep informed
HONORING STEADFAST LEADERSHIP
On a landmark night for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo were honored with the Institute’s Award for Inspired Leadership on Wednesday, December 9, for their ongoing efforts to shepherd their states through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, titled “A Celebration of Inspired Leadership,” marked the first time that the Institute has named multiple recipients for the leadership award, and this year not just one sitting governor but a bipartisan pair. “It’s especially noteworthy this year that we are honoring the work of both a Democrat [Cuomo] and a Republican [Baker],” said Annual Event Co-Chair Anne Finucane, vice chair of Bank of America. “I have little doubt that Senator Kennedy is thrilled.’’ New Institute Board member Martin Luther King III co-chaired the event, and Institute President Vicki Kennedy and Board Chair Bruce Percelay joined Finucane and King to introduce the governors.
In a conversation moderated by NBC News White House Correspondent Kristen Welker, both governors spoke of the late senator as a model and inspiration for the enormous public health operations –– and hard choices on pandemic precautions –– they have pursued to keep their residents safe. “The approach that Senator Kennedy took to his work, which was to build coalitions, find common ground, and move the ball, is exactly the way good policy and good government happens,’’ Baker said.
Cuomo, sitting before an American flag presented to him by Senator Edward M. Kennedy that flew over the Capitol the day of his Senate confirmation as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1997, said “I miss Senator Ted Kennedy. I miss his leadership. I miss his spirit. I miss his personality. I miss his record of accomplishment. I miss his laugh. I miss his personal touch, the charisma, and the inspiration. He was inspirational as a government leader.”
You may view the conversation here, and a gallery of news coverage of this historic event may be found here.
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