2008 CED Distinguished Performance Awardees

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• CED Executive Committee
• See the 2008 CED Awards Dinner Booklet

IBM, McKinsey & Company, Toyota North America, and (Product) Red honored at 2007 CED Distinguished Performance Awards Dinner

2007 CED Distinguished Performance Awardees

The Distinguished Awards Dinner is the highlight of CED's Annual Meetings, held each May at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Each 2007 awardee has made important contributions to the strength of CED's international and domestic programs.

CED President Charles Kolb said in his welcoming remarks, "The past year has been an extremely good year for CED. Our finances are strong; our policy agenda is full; and we were highly visible around the country and in the media. We took CED on the road - more than we ever have before - with 32 events in 14 cities, plus several events in New York and Washington."

"Our policy program includes health care reform, early education, corporate governance, global imbalances, international studies and foreign languages, and "Making Washington Work.'"

People often ask how CED differs from other public policy and business organizations. Aside from the fact that we rarely lobby, CED's work is characterized by the active engagement of senior leaders in the American business and academic communities who focus on issues that benefit the country and not just corporate profits. This year's dinner theme of "business engagement in public policy" has characterized CED's work going back to the Marshall Plan in the late 1940s, right up to today's work on money and politics, education, trade, health care reform, and the nation's overall fiscal health.

More than 300 people attended the Awards Dinner.

• Jack Smith and General Motors were presented the CED Corporate Citizenship Award for their "long-standing commitment to globalization and dedication to strong corporate ethics and international corporate citizenship."
• Ambassador Carla Hills, who has served as United States Trade Representative, and as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, among other positions, was presented with CED's Excellence in Public Policy Award. Ambassador Hills was recognized for her "dedication to the highest standards of excellence in the public and private sectors, and her continuing role in advancing international relations."
• Doctor Isaiah Frank, William L. Clayton Professor of International Economics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, was given CED's International Leadership Award in recognition for his nearly 40-year association with CED and his "lifelong dedication to the study of international economics, and his commitment to teaching and the advancement of young people in foreign service careers."

More than 300 people attended the CED Awards Dinner, including prominent figures from corporate America, academia, and the Foreign Service. Jack Smith recounted how General Motors Corporation was able to successfully begin manufacturing vehicles in the People's Republic of China and the many lessons GM learned. Ambassador Carla Hills also touched on issues relating to China as she forcefully argued for truly open markets around the world. Doctor Isaiah Frank thanked CED for giving him the opportunity to extend his work in international relations through the many CED projects he has been a part of since the mid-1960s.

On May 20th, CED was honored to host Ambassador Wang Guangya, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations at a luncheon session focused on U.S. - China relations. Ambassador Wang's keynote address touched on the economic and political successes and challenges of relations between the two superpowers.

Ambassador Wang believes that U.S. - China relations are better than ever and that the growing economic ties between the two nations are benefiting the global economy.

Following Ambassador Wang's remarks, CED President Charles Kolb moderated a lively panel discussion on trade with China that featured four experts in the field: John Holden, President of the National Committee on United States - China Relations; Daniel Rosen, Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and China economic specialist; G. Mustafa Mohatarem, chief economist of General Motors Corporation; and Mark F. Kramer, Director of Transaction Services for PriceWaterhouseCoopers.