IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2018

AMBASSADOR NIKKI HALEY HONORED AS 2018 WOMAN OF VALOR
Mike Rowe Presented with Gentleman of Distinction Award

[PHOTOS]

[PROGRAM]

WASHINGTON, DC – Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) presented Ambassador Nikki Haley with its Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award on Wednesday night at its Annual Awards Gala held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. Executive producer and TV host Mike Rowe was the recipient of the Gentleman of Distinction Award and multi-Emmy award-winning host of Fox News Channel’s Outnumbered Overtime Harris Faulkner was the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Amb. Haley, an outgoing popular UN diplomat, was recognized for her strength, courage, and willingness to speak boldly on behalf of America’s interests, her work on human rights around the world, and her deep commitment to economic liberty and freedom.

PRESENTATION OF THE BARBARA K. OLSON WOMAN OF VALOR AWARD FROM HEATHER R. HIGGINS

ACCEPTANCE REMARKS FROM AMB. NIKKI HALEY

Amb. Haley accepted the award and thanked IWF, noting that it “was founded on the revolutionary notion that not all women think alike.” She expressed “the truth is, the majority of women's groups don't speak for women who aren’t liberals. That's just a fact. IWF was created to be a voice for millions of women who are like me.”

Amb. Haley recounted her experiences and work for women over the past two years while serving as US Ambassador to the United Nations: “Of course, there is sexism and we must never tolerate it. But there's also something else that tremendously disadvantages women that gets less attention, and that's the actions of governments and the effects of lawlessness. In place after place that I've worked on over the past two years, this phenomenon has struck me.”

Ultimately, she said, what hurts women the most is government corruption, human rights crises, and the absence of freedom.

IWF’s first Woman of Valor Award was given in 2004 to Lynne Cheney, and has since been awarded to other extraordinary recipients, including: Kellyanne Conway, Carly Fiorina, Rep. Barbara Comstock, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Senator-elect Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Fmr. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Fmr. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Brinker, Fmr. Rep. Mary Bono, and R. Gaull Silberman.

PRESENTATION OF THE GENTLEMAN OF DISTINCTION AWARD FROM LORI ARMISTEAD

Executive producer and TV host Mike Rowe was presented with the Gentleman of Distinction Award for his extremely important work to champion the dignity and value of all work and a solid work ethic. Rowe, also the founder of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, was introduced by Lori Armistead, senior program officer for the Walton Family Foundation’s K-12 Education Program. She noted how Rowe has gone far beyond television to reshape how society thinks of trade and service-oriented jobs, and to encourage more people to consider pursuing those professions.

ACCEPTANCE REMARKS FROM MIKE ROWE

“We don’t need American Idols. We need American Icons — icons of work,” said Rowe. He credits his grandfather and mother for shaping his path, explaining that “what we need to do in our country is change the way people think about work, we have to change the perceptions, the misperceptions, the myths, the stereotypes, and the stigmas that are affirmatively keeping millions of kids in this generation from pursuing the millions of opportunities currently in the offering.”

The event drew nearly 600 guests. In attendance: Sen. Susan Collins, Sen.-elect Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Gary Palmer, Rep. Peter Roskam, Rep. Bill Flores, Rep. John Faso, Rep. Claudia Tenney, Heidi Ganahl, Charmaine and Jack Yoest, David and Adele Malpass, Anne Gearan, Tammy Bruce, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Paul Teller, Larry O’Connor, Liz Peek, Avik Roy, Abby Moffat, Myles Pollin, Michaelon Wright, Yvonne Boice, Giovanna Cugnasca, Jim and Lisa Gable, Uttam and Janet Dhillon, James Taranto, Kelly Jane Torrance,  Diamond & Silk, Laura Cox Kaplan, Cleta Mitchell, Harmeet Dhillon, Capri Cafaro, Mollie Hemingway, Susan Ralston, Susan Hirschmann, Marlene Colucci, Annie Dickerson, Danielle Crittenden, and Christina Hoff Sommers.

 

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Independent Women's Forum is an educational 501(c)(3) dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well-intended, but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.