2020 Highlights
Honored Senator Chuck Grassley and Dawn Sweeney
Bryce Harlow Award – Senator Chuck Grassley (Iowa)
Chuck Grassley was elected to Iowa Legislature 1958, the U.S. House of Representatives 1974, and has served in the U.S. Senate since 1980. Known for his reputation for hard work and constituent service, Senator Grassley holds the longest consecutive voting streak in Senate history. Senator Grassley hasn’t missed a vote since 1993, when he was in Iowa helping constituents respond to the devastating flooding. Senator Grassley was sworn in as Senate president
pro tempore for the 116th Congress, which places him third in the presidential line of succession. He leverages his seniority in the United States to build bipartisan coalitions and advance a conservative agenda to improve opportunity and prosperity for more Americans. Grassley serves as chair of the Senate Finance Committee. He was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee for four years, during which time he shepherded an historic 85 federal judges through the Senate’s advice and consent authority for lifetime appointments to the federal bench, including two Supreme Court Justices. His signature legislative achievement as chairman of the Judiciary Committee was landmark, bipartisan criminal justice reform called the First Step Act. It passed the Senate 87-12 and was signed into law in December 2018. With uncommon tenacity, Senator Grassley brings grit and integrity to the nation’s capital where he has developed a reputation for independence and relentless oversight to make the government work for the people it serves, not the other way around.
As we honor Senator Grassley with the Bryce Harlow Award, please watch this short video to view tributes to the Senator.
Please take a few minutes to watch Senator Grassley’s gracious acceptance speech.
Business-Government Relations Award – Dawn Sweeney, former President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association
Long recognized as a leading voice in advocacy and revenue development, Dawn Sweeney served as President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association from October 2007 to December 2019—the first female and longest-serving CEO in the Association’s 100-year history. Based in Washington, DC, the Association and its Educational Found
ation serves the nation’s $867 billion restaurant and foodservice industry. Prior to assuming this role, Dawn was President of AARP Services, the taxable business subsidiary of AARP, where she was responsible for revenue growth and new product development for the 50+ market, serving AARP’s 40 million members. She also served as Group Executive for Membership, which focused on growing and diversifying AARP’s membership. Prior to AARP, Dawn served as Vice President of Market Development for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Vice President of Marketing for the International Dairy Foods Association, where she launched the “milk mustache” advertising campaign. Dawn earned a Bachelor of Science in Government from Colby College and an MBA in Marketing from The George Washington University. She serves on the boards of SITE Centers Corp. (SITC), Save the Children, and the MedStar National Medical Rehabilitation Hospital.
We welcome you to view the following video, with tributes to Ms. Sweeney for receiving the Business Government Relations award:
We invite you to watch this terrific, heartfelt introduction of Dawn by Christianne Ricchi, Owner and Executive Chef of i Ricchi.
Finally, please watch this truly wonderful acceptance speech by Dawn Sweeney.
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