History, Heroes, and Hope Award
The History, Heroes, & Hope Award
The Trust for the National Mall created the History, Heroes, & Hope Award in 2014 to honor the spirit and ideals that the National Mall represents for our country. The Award has recognized dedicated public servants, long-time volunteers, and patriotic donors.
The History, Heroes, & Hope Award have traditionally been presented during the Trust’s annual spring fundraising gala, with an audience of over 700 prominent business leaders, philanthropists, members of Congress and public officials. The global pandemic shifted the Award presentation to a virtual tribute in 2020, and an intimate, in-person awards event for 2021 for invited guests and sponsors.
In 2024, the History, Heroes & Hope Award will be presented at BALL for THE MALL 2024, which will take place May 8, 2024 on the National Mall. Honorees will be announced shortly.
The History, Heroes, & Hope Award embodies the best ideals of our nation and honors those among us who live out those ideals through their work, charity, and passions.
2023: Sheila Johnson, Founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, and Her Excellency Emily Haber, German Ambassador to the United States
2022: Jon Batiste & Suleika Jaouad, Award-Winning Artists & Activists, and Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President and Chief Executive Officer of WETA-TV
2021: Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian, and José Andrés, Chef/Owner of ThinkFoodGroup and Founder of World Central Kitchen
2020: The Honorable Lamar Alexander, Senator (R-TN)
2019: The Honorable Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and the late Congressman John Dingell (D-MI)
2018: Donald Adam and Annemarie Emmet, Volunteers-in-Parks Program Volunteers
2017: David M. Rubenstein, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, The Carlyle Group
2016: Jonathan Jarvis, Former Director of the National Park Service
2015: John E. “Chip” Akridge III, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Trust for the National Mall
2023 Award Recipients
Sheila Johnson
Founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, Vice Chair, Trust for the National Mall Board of Directors, Chair of the USPP Horse Stables Campaign
Her Excellency Emily Haber
German Ambassador to the United States, Champion for the National Mall and Leader in the Restoration of the German-American Friendship Garden
2023: Sheila Johnson, Founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, and Her Excellency Emily Haber, German Ambassador to the United States
The Trust for the National Mall was proud to honor Sheila Johnson, Founder and CEO of Salamander Collection, and Her Excellency Emily Haber, German Ambassador to the United States, with our History, Heroes & Hope Award at BALL for THE MALL 2023 on May 10, 2023.
Sheila Johnson is Founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts (SHR), which operates a collection of luxury properties with over $200 million in revenue. It is ranked No.4 in Minority-Owned Companies in the Washington DC Metro area. Additionally, it is ranked No.4 as the Largest Women-Owned Businesses in Greater D.C. SHR includes the equestrian-inspired Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia, which has been awarded the distinguished Forbes Five Star rating. As Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Ms. Johnson is the only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the NHL’s Washington Capitals (2018 Stanley Cup Champions), and the WNBA’s 2019 World Champions Washington Mystics, for which she serves as President and Managing Partner. She also served on the Executive Committee of the United States Golf Association where she spearheaded efforts in increasing diversity in the game of golf.
Emily Margarethe Haber has been German Ambassador to the United States since June 2018.
Immediately prior to this, Emily Haber, a career foreign service officer, was deployed to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, serving as State Secretary overseeing security and migration at the height of the refugee crisis in Europe. In this capacity, she worked closely with the US administration on topics ranging from the fight against international terrorism to global cyberattacks and cybersecurity. In 2009, she was appointed Political Director and, in 2011, State Secretary at the Foreign Office, the first woman to hold either post. Earlier in her career, she served at the German Embassy in Ankara; in Berlin, she has served as Deputy Head of the Cabinet and Parliamentary Liaison Division, as Director of the OSCE Division, and as Deputy Director-General for the Western Balkans. Emily Haber has extensive knowledge of the Soviet Union and Russia, having worked both in the Soviet Union Division at the German Foreign Office and, on various occasions, at the German Embassy in Moscow, where she served as Head of the Economic Affairs Section and Head of the Political Affairs Department.
2022 Award Recipients
2022: Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President and CEO of WETA-TV, and award-winning artists and activists Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste
The Trust for the National Mall was proud to honor Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President and CEO of WETA-TV, and award-winning artists and activists Suleika Jaouad and Jon Batiste as a couple with our History, Heroes & Hope Award at the fall BALL for THE MALL on October 4, 2022.
Sharon Percy Rockefeller has served the public media community for more than 40 years as a leader and policymaker. She has been president and chief executive officer of WETA, Washington, D.C.’s flagship public media station, since 1989. Rockefeller, a 2019 National Medal of Arts recipient for her extraordinary leadership and advocacy in the arts and public media, continues to guide WETA to outstanding accomplishments in broadcasting, production, digital education resources, and civic engagement — all in support of the mission to promote lifelong learning. Before assuming the top post at WETA, she served on the WETA Board of Trustees for seven years, including three years as chair; and was a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for 12 years, including four years as chair. She was also a member of the board of directors of PBS for 19 years.
Jon Batiste is one of the most prolific and versatile musicians of any generation. He has spent his career bringing music back to where it started — with the people. Jon was born in New Orleans into the legendary Batiste family, and later studied at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York City. Batiste's skills as a pianist, composer and bandleader quickly made him one of the country's most sought-out collaborators and performers, with appearances that include the Grammys, Kennedy Center Honors, the US Open and the NBA All-Star Game. Suleika Jaouad is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling memoir, Between Two Kingdoms. She wrote the Emmy Award-winning New York Times column “Life, Interrupted” and her reported features and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vogue, and NPR, among other publications. Click here to watch the couple’s heartfelt History, Heroes & Hope Award acceptance message.
Sharon Percy Rockefeller
President and CEO, WETA-TV
Suleika Jaouad & Jon Batiste
Award-Winning Artists and Activists
2021 Award RecipientS
Lonnie G. Bunch III
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
José Andrés
Chef/Owner of ThinkFoodGroup and Founder of World Central Kitchen
2021: Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and José Andrés, Chef/Owner of ThinkFoodGroup and Founder of World Central Kitchen
The Trust for the National Mall honored two important Americans and presented our Distinction in Corporate Service Award on September 30, 2021 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This monumental evening was an intimate and unique event and supported our mission to restore, preserve, and enrich the National Mall, one of the most iconic landmarks in America.
The event was hosted by WAMU NPR Host of the 1A Jenn White with special guest, philanthropist and International Business Leader David M. Rubenstein. The Trust for the National Mall honored:
Lonnie G Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian. He assumed his position June 16, 2019 and as Secretary, he oversees 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers, and several education units and centers. Bunch was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Previously Bunch served as the president of the Chicago Historical Society and formerly worked in several positions at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. A widely published author, Bunch has held numerous teaching positions at universities across the country and served on the advisory boards of the American Association of Museums and the American Association for State and Local History. He was awarded the Freedom Medal from the Roosevelt Institute; the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from the Hutchins Center at Harvard University; and the National Equal Justice Award from the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund; and the Tony Horwitz Prize from the the Society of American Historians. Bunch received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the American University.
José Andrés, Chef/Owner of ThinkFoodGroup and Founder of World Central Kitchen
Chef José Andrés is a chef, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. His ThinkFoodGroup comprises nearly 30 acclaimed restaurants in the US and abroad, while his nonprofit World Central Kitchen uses food as a powerful agent of positive change around the globe. José has twice been on TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” list, was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the James Beard Foundation in 2018, and has earned four Michelin stars. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chef Andrés and World Central Kitchen have partnered with thousands of local restaurants, farmers, and community leaders around the country to combat food insecurity and create smart food policy. A naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Spain, Chef Andrés has been a tireless advocate for immigration reform.
American Express, Recipient of the Trust's Distinction in Corporate Service Award
This award specifically recognizes American Express’s investments in the historic Lockkeeper’s House, which reopened in 2018 after being fully restored and now provides an exhibit space to learn the rich history of the National Mall and the surrounding area, and support of the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab, Phases I and II, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab has been key in driving attention to the Tidal Basin and ensuring immediate and long-term solutions to the systemic problems caused by urbanization, failing infrastructure, and climate change.
Additional Past award Recipients
2020: Senator Lamar Alexander
The 2020 History, Heroes, and Hope Award was awarded to the Honorable Lamar Alexander, Senator from Tennessee.
As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Alexander is a longtime champion of our national parks. He was the pioneer behind the effort to restore our parks and an early co-sponsored the "Great American Outdoors Act,” the bipartisan legislation recently signed into law that will cut in half the nearly $12 billion deferred maintenance backlog in our national parks over the next five years. Senator Alexander’s colleagues and friends paid tribute to his illustrious career in public service during a special virtual event.
Senator Lamar Alexander Legacy Fund Donors
The Trust for the National Mall established the Senator Lamar Alexander Legacy Fund in recognition of the 2020 History, Heroes & Hope Award recipient.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the following donors:
BGR Foundation
Haley Barbour
Lanny Griffith
David Morgenstern
Ed Rogers
Bill Viney
Erskine Wells
2019: The Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the late Congressman John Dingell
The 2019 History, Heroes, and Hope Award was presented for the first time to two members of Congress who demonstrated great passion and support for our national parks. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and the late Representative John Dingell (D-MI).
Senator Murkowski served as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and also on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she was the Chairman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee.
The late Representative John Dingell was the longest serving Member of Congress and a long-term member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee stewarding the preservation of U.S. national parks and treasures, including an early stint as a Forest Ranger.
2018: Donald Adam and Annemarie Emmet, Volunteers-in-Parks Program Volunteers
In 2018 the Trust selected two individuals who have made a significant contribution to the National Mall as longtime Volunteers-In-Parks participants.
Donald Adam has been a volunteer since 2002 and he has amassed more than 20,000 volunteer hours on the National Mall.
Annmarie Emmert has amassed well over 18,000 hours since 1982 and she has tirelessly climbed ladders and made thousands of rubbings of names for visitors who wish to have a keepsake of their visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
2017: David M. Rubenstein
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Trust’s annual fundraising event, we honored patriotic philanthropist and co-founder of Carlyle Group’s David M. Rubenstein.
Rubenstein has donated millions to the National Mall’s iconic monuments and memorials as well as other historical treasures that preserve the history of America’s founding.
2016: Jonathan Jarvis, Former Director of the National Park Service
Jonathan Jarvis served as the 18th director of the National Park Service from 2009 to 2017. He began his NPS career as a ranger at National Mall and Memorial Parks and later served as Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park, before becoming regional director for the Pacific West Region.
2014: John E. “Chip” Akridge III, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Trust for the National Mall
The Trust honored founder and board chairman Chip Akridge as the first recipient of the History, Heroes, & Hope Award. Chip’s service to our nation began during his military service in Vietnam, but he has continued to donate his time, talent, and resources to preserve and enhance the National Mall-America’s Front Yard and the greatest park in the country.