Luce Award Recipients
J. Luce Foundation Clare Boothe Luce Award.
As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the first female U.S. Ambassador, as well as a versatile author and editor, Clare Boothe Luce was a charismatic and forceful public speaker whose life embraced International Service. Although a true Renaissance woman, Clare was not necessarily dedicated to liberating all women to follow in her footsteps. She believed women were biologically ordained to nurture children and raise families and Clare wanted to support them in those efforts, not competing for jobs at Time-Life. She had no qualms about using her feminine allure to get what she needed out of men, and left many a man in the wake of her affairs.
J. Luce Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), founded in 1999, and the J. Luce Foundation, began in 2009, have a long history of acknowledging the efforts of individuals who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of humanity (see bios below). The Foundation’s Humanitarians are exemplified by those who believe, like Honoree Mitzi Perdue, “Success is not measured by what you can get, but by what you can give.” 2014/15 Humanitarian of the Year Awards were recently presented to Meera Gandhi, Dr. Kazuko Tatsumura Hillyer, Kevin McGovern, and the Hon. Mitzi Perdue at the Foundation’s Annual Leadership Reception held at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations.
Past Awardees.
Past Awards from Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW) and the Foundation have been presented to H.S.H. Albert II of Monaco, H.E. Amb. Dr. Palitha Kohona (Sri Lanka), H.E. Hon. Li Baodong (China), H.E. Haya Rashed Al Khalifa (Bahrain), Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary (2010), Dr. Judy Kuriansky (Columbia University), the Hon. Carolyn Maloney (2010), Hellenic Republic Parliamentarian Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou (2010), Director Charlotte Brandin of the World Childhood Foundation, and WCBS Anchor Cindy Hsu.
In addition to microgrants, The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation, Inc. awards non-profit organizations (NGOs) with its Luce Award for Excellence and Integrity in Helping Humanity while offering young global leaders the opportunity to impact positive social change. Organizations that have been spotlighted by the Foundation through The Stewardship Report may apply to receive the Award. Each Award will be accompanied by a framed proclamation that articulates the excellence and integrity of the recipient organization.
The Foundation expects to award microgrants for leadership development, education and/or the Arts in 2015 to non-profit organizations in the U.S., including: Battery Dance Company (Jonathan Hollander, Dir.), The Child School-Legacy High School NYC (Vishu Grover, Dir.), The Children’s Institute-Center for Independence of N.J. (Benjamin M. Imbrogno Memorial Fund), Chinese-American Planning Council (Youth Empowerment), College of Wooster (Donald MacKenzie Art Prize), Fountain House, Habitat for Humanity (Stanford Luce Fund), Humanist Association of Harvard (Greg Epstein, Dir.), Indo-American Arts Council (Aroon Shivdasani, Dir.), Marietta College (McDonough Leadership Program), Marietta College (Pioneer Pipeline Program), Osborne Association (Elizabeth Gaines, Dir.), Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association (Tad Sudol, President), University of California Berkley (Project on Armed Conflict Resolution and People’s Rights, Center for Nonprofit & Public Leadership), among other organizations uplifting of humanity.
In 2014, Manav Sachdeva Maasoom was appointed Poet Laureate of the J. Luce Foundation. Maasoom was born in Punjab, India and has lived there off and on for nearly two decades out of his nearly four, with his point of home reference being New York City. He is a mystic and loves languages, music and dancing. Maasoom has lived and traveled with the United Nations and other international organizations in over forty countries. The Sufi’s Garland was his debut book.
Selected Bios.
Emma Felipe-Fernández, Ph.D.
Clare Boothe Luce Award ’18
Emma has professional experience as Transformation Leader for IBM North America, and served as Vice President for Latin America BD & Strategic Marketing and Senior Director for Global Social Responsibility for AECOM Technology Corporation New York. She taught Business in Society, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Concepts & Theories, Sustainable Development, and Corporate Citizenship & Responsible Behavior at both ESADE International Business School in Barcelona and Tsing Hua University Beijing, China. Emma speaks as native language Spanish and Catalan, is fluent in English, French, Italian, and Portuguese, has great skill with Mandarin Chinese. She has volunteered with orphans at St. Juan Dios Children’s Hospital in Barcelona, the Red Cross in London, and at an orphanage in Cheng Dong, China; as well as having taught entrepreneurship and micro-finance from San Salvador to The Bronx, New York City. She received her Ph.D. cum laude in Management & Economics from the University of Bordeaux and her Masters Degree (D.E.A.) with First Class Honors from the University Ramón Llull in Barcelona.
H.S.H. Albert II of Monaco
OIWW Humanitarian ’04
Prince Albert first asked to meet with Jim Luce in 2001 to discuss his passion for Haiti. Much of the funding for Orphans International’s campus after the Tsunami in Banda Aceh, Indonesia was from the H.S.H. as well as the Red Cross of Monaco (Croix-Rouge monégasque). One of the homes on the campus there was named after his mother. When Jim’s father passed away in 2007, the Prince sent a hand-written letter of condolence.
Imaam Shamsi Ali
OIWW Global Citizen ’10
As the head of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, Imaam Shamsi Ali was a friend of Orphans International and subsequently the foundation since the beginning of this century, supporting our work in Indonesia. In 2004, he wrote a letter of support for OIWW’s annual gala, stating “I and those who care for the orphans will be standing side by side in Paradise.”
Prof. Lenni Benson
Candlelight Award ’18; Sr. Global Advisor
Lenni B. Benson is a professor at New York Law School and serves as the director of the NYLS Safe Passage Project which recruits, trains and mentors lawyers and student volunteers who are willing to represent immigrant youth and has won state and national awards for its promotion and support of pro bono work. She serves on several city, state and national taskforces devoted to expand resources for immigrants, especially unaccompanied migrant children. From 2012 to 2015 she was the Chair of the Immigration and Nationality Law Committee for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. For many years she has served on the Board of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. In June of 2013 she published: “Immigration and Nationality Law: Problems and Strategies.” (Coauthors include Veronica Jeffers, Lindsay Curcio and Stephen Yale-Loehr). She has served as an expert witness on immigration law topics in administrative, civil, and criminal litigation. Professor Benson lives in New York with her husband John Wellington and their two children, Max and Lily. See Stewardship Report piece titled 2018 J. Luce Foundation Candlelight Award: Professor Lenni B. Benson here.
H.E. Katalin Bogyay
Global Citizen ’16
As Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations, Ambassador Bogyay previously served as her country’s Ambassador to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and then as President of UNESCO’s General Conference. Prior to that, she was also Hungary’s State Secretary for International Affairs for Education and Culture, as well as Founding Director of the Hungarian Cultural Centre in London. Prior to entering government, Ms. Bogyay had a distinguished career as an international television broadcaster, film producer, and holds a Master’s degree in economics from Corvinus University of Budapest, and a Master of Arts in international communication from the University of Westminster, U.K.
H.E. Catherine Boura
Global Citizen ’16
As Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, Ambassador Boura previously served as the Ambassador of Greece to Lebanon, after serving in the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Chief of Protocol and as Director of the Department for European Countries. She was Greece’s Consul General in New York and her first post abroad was in the Embassy of Greece in Cyprus. Dr. Boura has earned a Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in History from London University, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Athens University. See HuffPo piece entitled Jumping for Joy: Happiness Day 2016 at the United Nations here.
Rita Cosby
Humanitarian ’16, Sr. Global Advisor
Rita is one of the most recognized and respected broadcasters in America and has been quoted and profiled by hundreds of media outlets across the country and overseas. Born in Brooklyn, she is a renowned Emmy-winning TV host, veteran correspondent and multiple best selling author, who anchored highly rated primetime shows on Fox News Channel and MSNBC. She is currently a special correspondent for the top-rated CBS syndicated newsmagazine, Inside Edition, does frequent hosting and reporting for CNN/HLN, and hosts “The Rita Cosby Show” on the legendary WABC Radio, the most listened to talk station in America. In 2011, she was recognized by the U.S. Congress for her professional and charitable achievement. See HuffPo piece entitled Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics Recognize Rita Cosby here.
Donna Drake
OIWW Global Citizen ’10, Sr. Global Advisor
As president of Drake Media Network, Donna has been a friend to both OIWW and the foundation since the beginning of the decade.
Charles F. Dambach
OIWW Global Citizen ’10
As President & CEO of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, a network of 60 organizations and hundreds of professionals in the U.S. and worldwide devoted to the prevention and resolution of violent conflicts, and a key member of Peter Yarrow’s Operation Respect, Chic has been Washington-based for most of his professional life. Early in his career, Chic was active in the U.S. Peace Corp, and served as president and C.E.O.of the National Peace Corps Association in the 1990s. He holds an M.B.A. degree from Wake Forest University School of Business. See HuffPo piece on his book entitled Exhaust the Limits: New Book Speaks to One Man’s Successful Mission to Help Humanity here.
Thomas Ermacora
Humanitarian ’17
A cultural pioneer and social entrepreneur, founder of the tactical urban design non-profit specializing in participatory regeneration projects across Europe and thought leadership to expand the social impact of architecture and planning practices.
Meera Teresa Gandhi
Humanitarian ’15
A humanitarian, and the founder and C.E.O. of The Giving Back Foundation, geared towards alleviating illness, poverty and suffering while also addressing education issues which affect women and children around the world. Meera devotes her life to charity and help for those in need, notably abused and hungry children, widows, the sick, the deaf and blind. She is particularly interested in education as the stepping-stone to success. Gandhi has supported charities with strong female leadership programs and workshops, in part because of the role models in her life: Hillary Clinton, Cherie Blair, and Gandhi’s own mother, an Irish woman living in India. These charities include the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in the United Kingdom and the Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Center in the United States. Other charities Gandhi is involved with either directly or through her Foundation include the Happy Home and School for the blind in Mumbai, the Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Justice & Human Rights, the Cambodian Landmine Relief Fund, Centrepoint, Give to Colombia and The American Friends of Prince William and Prince Harry. Meera was born in Mumbai, India to an Irish mother and an Indian father. At the age of 16, she met Mother Teresa and worked with her helping children. She attended The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, India, and the United World of Colleges in Canada. Gandhi later received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Delhi, and an M.B.A. from Boston University School of Management. In 2007, she completed the Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School. See HuffPo piece entitled Honoring Young Leaders, Humanitarians at U.N. Mission here.
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil
OIWW Global Citizen ‘10
Manvendra is the first openly gay prince in the world, the heir of the Maharaja of Rajpipla in Gujarat, India. He runs a charity, The Lakshya Trust, which works with the LGBT community dealing with HIV/AIDS education and prevention. In 1971, the government of India ‘de-recognized’ Indian princes and Manvendra’s father thus lost the title ‘Maharaja’ along with its annual pension. In 2006, the story of Manvendra’s coming out made headlines in India and around the world. His family accused him of bringing dishonor to the clan and repeatedly asked why publicity was necessary. Finally, after a lot of bitterness, Manvendra’s family disowned him. Manvendra appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 and was presented Orphans International Worldwide’s 2010 Global Citizenship Award for Leadership In Helping Humanity in NYC (video). In 2018 Manvendra opened up his 15-acre palace grounds to help house vulnerable LGBT people who might otherwise be “left with nothing” when “their families disown them after coming out.”
Noritoshi Hirakawa
Outstanding NGO ’17
Noritoshi is the visionary behind the organization “Today is the Day” that holds that World Transformation can be created through Art. Created in 2013 in Hiroshima, “Today is the Day” has non-profit status in New York State, Singapore and Switzerland. It has offered art therapy treatments for trauma care to children from Fukushima in collaboration with Children are Our Future in Tokyo, LaSalle College of the Arts in Singapore, and New York University every summer since 2014. Noritoshi works with photography, film, installation and performance, with his work exhibiting over 300 times, including at the Venice Biennale, Istanbul Biennale, Museum fur Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, Centre Pompidou in Paris, MoMA PS1 in New York, Kunsthalle in Vienna, Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, and Casa Barragan, Mexico City.
Khaliya, formerly Princess Khaliya Aga Khan
Clare Boothe Luce Award ’17
Philanthropist, humanitarian, and world leading advocate for mental health.
Steve Killelea
Humanitarian ’16
Steve is an accomplished Australian entrepreneur in high technology and at the forefront of philanthropic activities focused on sustainable development and peace. After successfully building two international software companies, Steve has dedicated most of his time and fortune to sustainable development and peace. With a strong passion for sustainable development, Steve established The Charitable Foundation in 2000 which specializes in working with the poorest communities of the world. Today, TCF is one of the largest private overseas aid organizations in Australia, aiming to provide life-changing interventions reaching as many people as possible with special emphasis on targeting the poorest of the poor. TCF is active in East and Central Africa and parts of Asia and has substantially impacted the lives of over 2.3 million people. In 2007 Steve Killelea founded the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), an international think-tank dedicated to building a greater understanding of the inter-connection between business, peace and economics with emphasis on the economic benefits of peace, including the Global Peace Index – the world’s leading measure of peacefulness. See HuffPo piece entitled Launched by Australian Visionary, U.S. Peace Index Hits Year Two.
H.E. Amb. Dr. Palitha Kohona, LL.B.
OIWW Global Citizen ’10
As former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United Nations, Amb. Kohona hosted the foundation’s 2015 annual gala in the Sri Lankan Embassy in NYC. Today, he is C.E.O. of AsiaAdvisors in Colombo. He graduated from Cambridge University, the Australian National University, and the University of Colombo. See: Diplomatic Viewpoint: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in The Stewardship Report.
Dr. Judy Kuriansky
OIWW Global Citizen ’10; Sr. Global Advisor
Dr. Judy is a world renowned radio advice host, clinical psychologist and certified sex therapist, popular lecturer, newspaper columnist, and author of many books. She is a pioneer of radio call-in advice, and more recently of Internet advice. An adjunct professor at the Clinical Psychology Program at Columbia University Teachers College and visiting professor of Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing, she is a frequent commentator on international media — including CNN — on various news issues. Dr. Judy is also expert on emergency mental health services, and has worked at Ground Zero and many other disasters worldwide, and lectures about coping with world conflicts. See HuffPo pieces entitled The Heart of Mental Health and Well-Being at the United Nations. and Ambassadors Awarded for Achievement in U.N. Global Goals here.
Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney
OIWW Global Citizen ’10
Representing the Upper East Side of New York City in the United States Congress, Congress member Maloney was a friend of both Orphans International and the foundation since inception and one of our home for orphaned children in Indonesia after the Tsunami was named after her. She attended our annual galas for over a decade and wrote about the passing of Jim’s mother in The Congressional Record in 2001, and then recognized Jim in 2004. In 2005, she wrote “I am deeply honored by the prospect of having the girls’ room at the Sumatra campus named for me. The work that you are doing through Orphans International is extraordinary. It has been my pleasure to play a small part in helping Orphans International accomplish its goals. See HuffPo piece entitled My Favorite Member of Congress: U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney here.
Hon. Geneive Brown Metzger, LLD
Clare Boothe Luce Award ’18; Sr. Global Advisor
Geneive is more than anything a change agent for the Caribbean. She is a self-appointed custodian of the Caribbean brand and an advocate of US-Caribbean relations through foreign direct investment and trade. She served as the Jamaican Consul General in New York 2008 to 2012, heading Jamaica’s largest foreign mission whose territory included 33 states, Puerto and Bermuda. Geneive is founding president of the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation, providing scholarships for students studying maritime sciences in the Caribbean and building maritime capacity in the region. A frequent radio host, she also serves on the board of the St. George’s Society. See HuffPo piece entitled Caribbean Students Affected by Recent Hurricanes Have an Anchor in ACMF here
Kevin McGovern
Humanitarian ’15
As Chairman of The Water Initiative, Kevin has founded over fifteen companies, including South Beach Beverage Company, Inc. (SoBe), and serves as Chairman of McGovern Capital. McGovern Capital was one of three owners of KX Industries, L.P., the largest manufacturer and worldwide source of carbon air and water purification filters, having invented and supplied PUR to P&G, first end-of-tap filter to Brita, and the first refrigerator water filter to Electrolux. The water purification system created by his companies has enabled people throughout the world, including the developing world, to purify contaminated water in a simple, affordable and convenient way. Kevin McGovern serves as Trustee Emeritus, Presidential Councilor and professor at Cornell University. See HuffPo piece entitled Honoring Young Leaders, Humanitarians at U.N. Mission here.
Taku Nishimae
OIWW Global Citizen ’10
New York Manager of the PIKADON Project. See piece entitled Japan’s PIKADON Project and Hiroshima Yes! Campaign in NYC.
Hon. Mitzi Perdue
Humanitarian ’15
The widow of the late Frank Perdue. Her biography, Tough Man, Tender Chicken: Business & Life Lessons from Frank Perdue, was published in 2014 and reviewed very favorably in The Huffington Post. The book was recently #6 in the Amazon rankings for Business Biographies. She is currently Corresponding Editor for the Academy of Women’s Health, and also for GEN, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. In addition, she writes a philanthropy column for The Salisbury Daily Times. Each week she profiles a local charity, letting the community know about the needs the charity is addressing, and also giving a public pat on the back to the charity’s staff and volunteers. Her dream is to do this on a national scale. In the past, she was a syndicated columnist for 22 years, first with Capitol News in California and then nationally with Scripps Howard. She has written more than 1600 articles, most often on the environment and on science. She was also a nationally syndicated TV hostess and producer, having produced more than 400 half hour shows. Mitzi currently serves on the boards of the Institute of International Education, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, and the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. She’s a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Women’s Day Magazine Women Who Inspire Us Award. Mitzi Perdue holds degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. A former rice grower, she is a past President of the 35,000-member American Agri-Women, the oldest and largest American farmwomen’s organization. She served as a U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Conference on Women in Nairobi and she was a Commissioner on the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. See HuffPo piece entitled Tough Man, Tender Chicken : Philanthropist Frank Perdue.
Gina Pollara
OIWW Global Citizen ’10
Formerly Executive Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island and then President and CEO of The Muncipal Art Society. Gina was trained in architecture at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Gina has been a friend of both OIWW and the Foundation since 2005.
Hon. Jumaane D. Williams
OIWW Global Citizen ’10, Humanitarian ’15
New York City Council Member of Grenadian representing neighborhoods in Brooklyn. He is co-chair of the Council’s Task Force to Combat Gun Violence,is a founding member of the Progressive Caucus, and is a member of the Black, Latino & Asian Caucus. heritage. He is a proud product of the City’s public school system. He attended Philippa Schuyler Middle School for the Gifted and Talented and Brooklyn Technical High School. He earned his bachelor’s in political science, and master’s in urban policy and administration at Brooklyn College. He began his career as assistant director for the Greater Flatbush Beacon School, and later went on to serve as the executive director of New York State Tenants & Neighbors. See HuffPo piece entitled Honoring Young Leaders, Humanitarians at U.N. Mission here.
Peter Yarrow
OIWW Humanitarian ’08
Mentoring Jim Luce for over a decade, Peter has performed four benefit concerts for our foundation and Orphans International. Known as a folk singer with Peter, Paul & Mary, Peter is also founder of the anti-bullying initiative Operation Respect. Peter, Paul & Mary had an enormous impact on America in the 1960s as the nation was recovering from the McCarthy era, the Civil Rights Movement taking shape, and the Cold War heating up. With a nascent spirit of activism in the air, these musicians came together to reclaim folk’s potency as a social, cultural and political force. But few at the time could have realized how fervently and pervasively the group’s message of humanity, hope and activism would be embraced. Their individual and collective efforts have focused on such crucial issues as gun violence against children, the rights and organizing efforts of strawberry pickers in California, homelessness and world hunger. Their canon of classic songs include “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “500 Miles,” “Lemon Tree,” and “Puff (The Magic Dragon).” They sang at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. See HuffPo piece entitled In NYC: Songs of Peter, Paul & Mary to be Performed by Peter & Paul here and Peter Yarrow, Operation Respect Take Center Stage in Ohio here.
Tadeusz M. Sudol, Ph.D.
OIWW Global Citizen ’10; Global Advisor
Tad was Founding President of the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association, an institution the foundation has supported since inception. Professional practice as an Architect, Urban Planner and Designer in Poland and the U.S. with extensive knowledge in every phase of environmental design, from site planning through architecture and interior design. For 23 years he was Associate & Managing Senior Associate at the international firm, The Office of Thierry W. Despont in New York City and now heads his own firm. See the HuffPo pieces entitled Tadeusz Sudol: Connected To Two Worlds — New York And Old Europe here and Tadeusz Sudol: An Eye for the Roosevelt Island Tram here.