2025 Awards Celebration
Please mark your calendars for the 44th Bryce Harlow Foundation Annual Awards reception and dinner which will be held on April 30, 2025 at the Marriott Marquis in the Marquis Ballroom on level M2. As usual, the reception will begin at 6:00pm followed by a seated dinner from 7:00-9:00 pm. Dress code is business attire.
We are pleased to honor Senator Chris Coons (Delaware) with the Bryce Harlow Award and Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO of Airlines for America, with the Business Government Relations Award.
Bryce Harlow Award – Senator Chris Coons (DE)
Senator Chris Coons has earned a reputation as a principled progressive and pragmatic lawmaker, focused on some of the most important issues confronting Delaware and the nation. His commitment to making a difference for everyday Americans has earned Chris praise from the Washington Post, which proclaimed that Chris has “emerged as a thoughtful senator” and is one of the senators “who makes you feel good about politics.”
Serving on the Appropriations, Judiciary, Foreign Relations, Small Business & Entrepreneurship, and Ethics committees, Chris is uniquely positioned to help nurture American innovation and make the United States more competitive in the global market. His efforts to build consensus and deliver results led The Hill & GovTrack to name him one of the top three most productive senators. Getting things done is what Chris does for Delaware and working families in the Senate — and it’s what he has always done.
Before joining the Senate, Chris spent a decade of successful service in New Castle County government, delivering real results on behalf of Delawareans, preserving critical community services while protecting the county’s finances during the least stable national economic climate in decades. Prior to serving as County Executive, Chris worked as an attorney for Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates, an innovative, science-based business.
Chris is a graduate of Amherst College with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and political science, taking a semester to study abroad at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. He earned a law degree from Yale Law School while simultaneously earning a master’s degree in ethics from Yale Divinity School. Chris grew up in the Pike Creek and Hockessin areas and lives in Wilmington with his wife, Annie, and their three children, Michael, Jack, and Margaret.
Business Government Relations Award – Nicholas E. Calio, Airlines for America
Nicholas E. Calio is president and CEO of Airlines for America (A4A), the trade association for the country’s leading passenger and cargo airlines. Calio leads the organization which advocates for America’s airlines as models of safety, customer service and environmental responsibility, and as the indispensable network that drives nearly $1.5 trillion in U.S. economic activity and more than 10 million U.S. jobs.
His leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic helped save the industry from ruin, working closely with Congress to create the Payroll Support Program that kept airline employees on the job and pilots certified. Bringing together labor partners and commercial carriers, Calio helped secure nearly $60 billion in financial assistance as part of the CARES Act. Simultaneously, Calio partnered with Harvard University’s National Preparedness Leadership Initiative and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to implement a robust, multi-layered strategy to effectively reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 during air travel.
Prior to joining A4A in January 2011, Mr. Calio was Citigroup’s executive vice president for global government affairs and a member of its senior leadership committee. Calio served President George W. Bush as assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs from January 2001 to January 2003. Prior to joining the Bush administration, Calio was a partner at O’Brien*Calio, a law and lobbying firm he co-founded in 1993.
Mr. Calio is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He is currently chair of the Ohio Wesleyan University Board of Trustees. He is also a trustee of the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce and is a former Bryce Harlow Foundation board member.
Support the Foundation
We are pleased to congratulate the recently announced 2024-25 Class of Fellows . We are so grateful for your ongoing support, which makes it possible for us to carry on with our work — promoting the role of government advocacy in developing sound public policy. Thank you!
Your contribution supports the fellowship program and other educational activities of the Foundation. We appreciate your help!
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