Honoree Alexander Varshavsky Alexander Varshavsky Biochemist Alexander Varshavsky has devoted his research to the field of ubiquitin and regulated protein degradation, contributing to the understanding of illnesses such ...
Honoree Howard G. Chua-Eoan Howard G. Chua-Eoan Journalist Howard Chua-Eoan is a former news director of TIME magazine. He has also served as assistant managing editor and a writer, covering major stories including the ...
Honoree Samuel Der-Yeghiayan Samuel Der-Yeghiayan Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan is the United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. President Bush appointed him to the position in 2003. He previ...
Honoree Frank Gehry Frank Gehry Architect One of the greatest architects alive today, Frank Gehry's work is immediately recognizable for its unconventional undulating metal designs. First gaining notice as a fur...
Honoree Vinod Khosla Vinod Khosla Businessperson One of Silicon Valley's leading venture capital executives, Vinod Khosla co-founded highly successful companies including Daisy Systems and Sun Microsystems, where...
Honoree Jim Yong Kim Jim Yong Kim President World Bank In his commitment to treating treatable illnesses in the poor, Jim Yong Kim worked for groups/organizations such as the World Health Organization, pioneered g...
Honoree Heidi Klum Heidi Klum Fashion model Supermodel Heidi Klum was initially interested in becoming a designer until she beat more than 25,000 entrants in a modeling contest sponsored by Petra magazine in 19...
Honoree Peter D. Lax Peter D. Lax Mathematician Mathematician Peter Lax achieved fame for his work on wave theory, making discoveries that are used in airplane design, weather prediction, and telecommunications s...
Honoree Thakoon Panichgul Thakoon Panichgul Fashion designer Fashion designer Thakoon Panichgul is one of the most celebrated recent talents to emerge from the New York scene. After spending several years working in o...
Honoree Oliver Smithies Oliver Smithies Geneticist Geneticist Oliver Smithies, while serving in the 1980s as a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, discovered a method of introducing DNA into cells. ...
Honoree John Kluge John Kluge Entreprenuer Starting in the 1950s, John W. Kluge (1914-2010) grew the Metromedia company into a media giant, at its height encompassing numerous broadcast stations, Orion Pictures...
Honoree Vikram S. Pandit Vikram S. Pandit Banker Vikram Pandit served as CEO of Citigroup from 2007 to 2012, leading the bank amid the global financial crisis. He was the first Indian-American to reach such heights i...
Honoree Ciro Rodriguez Ciro Rodriguez Former U.S. Representative Ciro Rodriguez served as the representative of the 23rd Congressional District of Texas, the largest district in the state from 2006 to 2010. Prior t...
Honoree Renata Scotto Renata Scotto Opera singer Renowned Italian soprano Renata Scotto is known as one of the last of the divas, known for her vocal flexibility, dramatic intensity, and her commitment to keeping ...
Honoree Charles Simic Charles Simic Poet Named the U.S. Poet Laureate in 2007, Charles Simic has led a distinguished and productive career, drawing upon his childhood in war-torn Europe with his visceral, unique v...
Honoree Steven Udvar-Hazy Steven Udvar-Hazy CEO Air Lease Corporation Considered the godfather of the airplane leasing industry, Steven Udvar-Hazy was fascinated by airplanes from his teenage years. During college at U...
Honoree Sidney Taurel Sidney Taurel Businessperson Sidney Taurel served as chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, the pharmaceutical concern best known for the antidepressants Prozac and Sarafem. Born in Casab...
Honoree Mario Andretti Mario Andretti Racecar driver Mario Andretti is considered one of the greatest racecar drivers in the sport's history. Born in 1940 in Montona, Italy, he was inspired as a child by the Italia...
Honoree Elaine Chao Elaine Chao Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Born in Taipei Taiwan, Elaine Chao served from 2001 to 2009 as the U.S. Secretary of Labor, becoming the first Asian-American woman to be appointed ...
Honoree Edwidge Danticat Edwidge Danticat Author Born in Leogane, Haiti in 1969, Edwidge Danticat, who did not begin learning English until her adolescence, received wide acclaim for her 1994 debut novel Breath Eyes ...
Honoree Oscar De La Renta Oscar De La Renta Fashion designer Originally interested in becoming an abstract painter, Oscar de la Renta, born in 1932 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, found that he was more interest...
Honoree Elizabeth A. Armstrong Elizabeth A. Armstrong Professor, Sociology and Organizational Studies University of Michigan Elizabeth A. Armstrong is a professor of sociology and organizational studies at the University o...
Honoree Raj Chetty Raj Chetty William A. Ackman Professor of Economics Harvard University Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics at Harvard University and the director of Opportunity I...