2018 ANNUAL

AWARDS GALA
Honoring
Woman of Valor
The Honorable Nikki R. Haley

Gentleman of Distinction
Mike Rowe
with
Master of Ceremonies
Harris Faulkner

November 14, 2018

DAR Constitution Hall | Washington, DC

Special Thanks to Our Gala Program Sponsor

heidiganahl.com
 WELCOME

Good Evening,

Welcome to IWF’s 2018 Annual Awards Gala. Thank you for joining us to
celebrate another year of advancing the ideas of liberty, the rule of law, and
limited government—all of which we know are the foundation of a happier,
healthier society with better opportunities for all.

While much has changed since IWF was founded in 1992, following the
Justice Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings, our mission remains the
same: to create a better, fairer, stronger country; to demonstrate that
women, like men, benefit from greater freedom; and to create a community
for women who reject progressive feminism’s victim mentality and
encourage them to join our cause.

I believe IWF’s founders—including the late Barbara K. Olson and Ricki

Silberman—would have been proud watching the women of IWF stand up
for due process and the presumption of innocence during the battle over
Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation this fall. IWF’s spokeswomen appeared in
scores of television and radio shows, participated in rallies and events, and
provided thoughtful commentary in a wide range of outlets—from Glamour
to HBO’s Vice to National Review. And IWF’s outstanding communications
team worked relentlessly to get our message, with our unique tone, to
as large an audience as possible. In total, IWF reached tens of millions of
people during this pivotal moment in our country’s history.

IWF’s legal efforts, which focused not only on nominations but on making
the case for restoring the separation of powers, including rolling back the
administrative state, were just part of our work this past year. IWF also
championed new ideas to make our safety net more flexible and responsive to
workers’ needs, without fostering dependence, which encouraged a healthy
debate on these issues among the freedom movement. IWF developed and
shared the best practices for explaining how tax reform and cutting red tape
create better opportunities. IWF continued making the case for educational
freedom, a market-based healthcare system, and a commonsense approach to
product regulation. We also stand up for civility in the public square.

IWF championed the need for reform at the United Nations and a foreign
policy based on a recognition of the very real threats posed by North Korea,
Iran, and radical terrorists. We recognize that debates about domestic
policy are a luxury afforded by our strong military and foreign policy efforts
which protect our nation’s security.

We are honored tonight to celebrate our Woman of Valor, a woman

who epitomizes everything we applaud at IWF. As Ambassador to the
United Nations, Nikki Haley has shown strength and courage in speaking
boldly on behalf of America’s interests, challenging dictators and feckless
bureaucrats alike, all while always maintaining a civil tone. As Governor of
South Carolina, she showed her deep commitment to economic liberty and
limited government. In everything she does, she projects optimism and an
inspirational commitment to making the most of the opportunities before
her. She is a role model for people everywhere.

Tonight, we will also honor Mike Rowe as our Gentleman of Distinction. IWF
rejects the idea that men and women’s interests are at odds. We celebrate men
who make the world a better place, and Mike Rowe does just that. Mr. Rowe
champions the dignity and importance of all work, helping more people pursue
their passions and find greater purpose. He also has an incredibly generous
heart and spirit. He is a man truly making a positive impact in this world.

Thank you for joining us tonight. You make our work possible and we are
truly grateful. We hope you enjoy the evening.

With gratitude,

Carrie Lukas
President, IWF
 PROGRAM

The National Anthem Presentation of the

Gracie Terzian Gentleman of Distinction
Award to Mike Rowe
Welcome Lori Armistead
Harris Faulkner Walton Family Foundation
Master of Ceremonies
Presentation of the
A Message from Barbara K. Olson Woman
IWF’s President of Valor Award to the
Carrie Lukas Honorable Nikki R. Haley
Heather R. Higgins
Uniting Around Chairman of Independent Women’s
the Opioid Crisis Forum and Chairman & CEO of
Jessica Hulsey Nickel Independent Women’s Voice
Addiction Policy Forum
Farewell
Dinner Harris Faulkner

An Independent Reception in
Women Update Constitution Hall Lobby
Tammy Bruce featuring Alex Donner Entertainment
President of Independent sponsored by Dezenahall Resources
Women’s Voice

Dessert and Coffee

 MENU

First Course
Autumn Harvest Salad
Roasted Artichoke Hearts & Butternut Squash
Candied Walnuts Honey & Thyme Squash Puree
Sunflower Sprouts
Verjus Dressing

Parmesan Tuile

Entrée
Cedar Smoked Short Rib
Short Rib
Duck Fat Roasted Carrots
Wheatberry Pilaf
Braised Swiss Chard
Cumin-Carrot Jus

Blue Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits

Dessert
Apple Charlotte Timbales
Caramel Sauce
Calvados Ice Cream

Demitasse Café and Tea

Cream, Sugar
Sweetener, Lemon

The wine this evening is generously provided by

 AWARDS
Woman of Valor
The Barbara K. Olson Woman of
Valor Award has been bestowed
upon some of the most influential
female leaders in the country since
2004, and recognizes extraordinary
women who have demonstrated a
firm commitment to liberty, limited
government, personal responsibility,
and whose work has helped make
significant improvements to the
lives of women and their families.
Gentleman of Distinction
The Gentleman of Distinction
Award celebrates a gentleman
who has worked to create a
stronger society that protects and
encourages human flourishing
through individual liberty, while
strengthening relationships and
providing opportunities for women,
men, and their families.
 HONOREE

Woman of Valor
The Honorable Nikki R. Haley

Ambassador Nikki R. Haley is the United States

Permanent Representative to the United Nations,
where she is advocating for reforms to make
the organization more efficient, transparent, and
accountable.

On the United Nations Security Council,

Ambassador Haley is working to defend
Americans’ interests and keep our country safe.
She spearheaded negotiations for the unanimous
passage of the strongest sets of sanctions ever placed on North Korea.

Ambassador Haley is a champion for human rights. During her Security

Council presidency in April 2017, she hosted the first session devoted solely
to the subject. And she is partnering with like-minded nations to reform the
UN Human Rights Council, while challenging human rights violators across
the globe.

Prior to becoming the 29th U.S. Permanent Representative to the United

Nations, Ambassador Haley was elected in 2010 as the first female and first
minority Governor of South Carolina. She was reelected in 2014, where she
served until she was appointed to the President’s cabinet in November 2016.

During her tenure as governor, the state’s unemployment rate hit a 15 year
record low. And she ushered in the state’s largest education reform in decades.
 HONOREE

Gentleman of Distinction
Mike Rowe

From the Baltimore Opera to QVC shopping

channel, Executive Producer and TV Host Mike
Rowe has had hundreds of jobs and relished his
role as a chronic freelancer. He’s best known as
the “dirtiest man on TV,” a title he earned on the
hit TV series Dirty Jobs.

He has narrated hundreds of documentaries

about space, nature, dinosaurs, and how
stuff works. He has also forged a handful of
partnerships with iconic brands and filmed a boatload of Ford commercials.

Most recently, Mike is in search of remarkable people making a difference

in their communities on Facebook’s groundbreaking series Returning the
Favor. He also launched The Way I Heard It, a weekly five-minute podcast of
short mysteries for the curious mind with a short attention span.
In addition, Mike runs the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public
charity that provides scholarships to people getting trained for skilled jobs
that are in demand and has granted, or helped facilitate the granting of,
more than $5 million in technical and vocational education for trade schools
across the country.

In his spare time, Mike keeps a lively conversation with more than 5 million
Facebook friends, where he talks about everything from the musings of his
persnickety terrier named Freddy to the merits and pitfalls of blind patriotism.
 CHAIRMAN

Heather R. Higgins

Heather’s background is in finance, public

policy, and media, all happily combined with an
inclination to make trouble.

She serves as Chairman of Independent Women’s

Forum (IWF), as well as being Chairman and
CEO of its advocacy arm, Independent Women’s
Voice (IWV). In addition, she serves on the
boards of both the Philanthropy Roundtable and
the Hoover Institution.

Heather has been recognized as one of Campaigns & Elections 50 Most

Influential People for her issue advocacy and as a leader who will shape
future election cycles. In addition to receiving numerous awards for her
innovative approaches to campaign messaging, in 2016 she also received
the American Spectator’s first “Lifetime Service to the Movement” Award.

She writes most frequently for the Wall Street Journal where she used to be
an editorial writer and she often does television and radio to discuss public
policy and politics—indeed if you are ever up early, you may see her co-
hosting “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business.
 IWF PRESIDENT

Carrie Lukas

Carrie is the President of Independent Women’s

Forum and Vice President at Independent
Women’s Voice. Carrie, who has a B.A. from
Princeton and Master’s in Public Policy from
Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, has
been working in the policy arena since 1997
when she joined the Cato Institute. She also
worked on Capitol Hill as the senior domestic
policy analyst for the House Republican Policy
Committee. She joined Independent Women’s
Forum in 2003.

Carrie coauthored Liberty Is No War on Women, and wrote The Politically

Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism, published by Regnery
Publishing. She has testified most recently before Congress, and her work
has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York
Times, USA Today, and The New York Post.

She also has five children.

 IWV PRESIDENT

Tammy Bruce

Tammy is the President of Independent Women’s

Voice, IWF’s advocacy arm. Tammy is also a
Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network
Political Contributor, New York Times bestselling
author, columnist for the Washington Times,
and the host of the “Tammy Bruce Show,” a
New Media radio program streaming worldwide
focusing on culture and politics through an
Independent Conservative prism.

A Democrat up until 2008 when she officially

became an Independent, Tammy was a ‘community organizer’ through the
1990s as president of the Los Angeles chapter of NOW (she’s sorry), and
worked on a number of Democratic campaigns. In the mid-1990s, she saw
the light and embraced libertarian and conservative ideals.

Her first book, The New Thought Police, which focused on free speech and
the rise of left-wing McCarthyism, was published in 2001. Her second book,
The Death of Right and Wrong, also for Random House, addresses the rise
of moral relativism in society and quickly became a New York Times best
seller. Tammy’s latest work, The New American Revolution, was published by
Harper Collins/Morrow and is now available in paperback.

Tammy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University

of Southern California, from which she graduated cum laude, and is a PhD
candidate at Claremont Graduate University.

A native of Los Angeles, Tammy now spends most of her time in New York for
work, but it’s actually because her dog Sydney loves people, meatballs, and snow.
 MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Harris Faulkner

Harris Faulkner is a multiple Emmy award-

winning newscaster and trailblazer in her field.
Faulkner joined Fox News Channel in 2005,
where she anchors a daily daytime show
Outnumbered Overtime with Harris Faulkner
(weekdays at 1 p.m. ET) in addition to co-hosting
Outnumbered (weekdays at 12 p.m. ET).

Harris recently wrote a book, 9 Rules of

Engagement: A Military Brat's Guide to Life and
Success. In her book, Harris shares the lessons
she learned growing up in a military family paying homage to the military
ideals that shaped her and showing how everyone can benefit from bringing
the wisdom of military service into their lives.

Harris is a motivational speaker, writer, and philanthropist. Harris, who grew

up as a "military brat," is involved with the Green Beret Foundation, which
provides medical, transition, and family support for those who have served
in the U.S. Army Special Forces, and with the Navy Seal Foundation, which
provides immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special
Warfare community and its families. Harris is also active in raising awareness
and funds surrounding breast cancer research, working with the Susan G.
Komen Foundation, the Avon Foundation for Women, and the Triple Negative
Breast Cancer Foundation. In 1998, Faulkner received the Amelia Earhart
Pioneering Lifetime Achievement Award for her humanitarian efforts.

Harris graduated from The University of California at Santa Barbara with a

B.A. in Mass Communications. She resides in New Jersey with husband Tony
Berlin and their two daughters.
 PRESENTER

Lori Armistead

Lori is a senior program officer for the Walton

Family Foundation’s K-12 Education Program,
where she leads a portfolio of national policy
and advocacy partners to ensure a favorable
public policy environment where parents from
any zip code can access a great education for
their children.

Lori also directs Walton Family Foundation’s

education strategy in Atlanta and her adopted
home state of Georgia. Before joining the
foundation in 2010, she served as director of state projects at the national
nonprofits Alliance for School Choice and Advocates for School Choice.
Previously, she was the director of public affairs and the director of the
education task force at the American Legislative Exchange Council. Lori
began her career serving as the legislative advisor to Ohio’s then-Assistant
Majority Leader.

Lori lives in Duluth, Georgia, with her husband, Bill, and two toddler sons,
William and Harrison.
 PRESENTER

Jessica Hulsey Nickel

Jessica Hulsey Nickel is the founder, President & CEO

of the Addiction Policy Forum, a national nonprofit
organization that brings together each sector of
the field, elevates awareness around addiction,
and implements a comprehensive response that
includes prevention, treatment, recovery, and
criminal justice reform. Most recently, Jessica worked
on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery
Act, landmark legislation to address the opioid
epidemic, which was signed into law in July 2016.

Jessica’s 25-year career focusing on addiction comes from personal

experience. Both her parents struggled with heroin addiction, which led to
homelessness, foster care and eventually her mother’s incarceration, after
which she was raised by her grandparents. Jessica began working in the field
at 15 years old through a community anti-drug coalition in southern California.

Jessica served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Council of State
Governments Justice Center. During her tenure, she elevated the national
priorities of CSG, the nation's only organization serving all three branches
of state government, and coordinated efforts to pass and fund the Second
Chance Act, where she worked closely with then-Congressman Mike Pence to
see the bill signed into law in 2008.

Jessica worked as a legislative aid for Senator Rob Portman while he was in
the House. She handled a variety of issues for Portman, including the Second
Chance Act, the Speaker’s Drug Task Force, the Drug Free Communities
Act, the Drug Impaired Driving Act, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign, and the Drug-Free Workplace bill.
 SINGER

Gracie Terzian

A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Gracie

Terzian is a singer, songwriter, ukulelist, and actor
now living in New York City. She gained attention
in the jazz world with the release of her debut
EP, Saints and Poets, which debuted at #23 on
the Billboard jazz charts and quickly became the
#3 jazz album on iTunes. As an ukulelist, she is
known for playing unusual instruments, including
the harp ukulele and electric ukulele.

Terry Teachout, jazz critic and author of Duke:

A Life of Duke Ellington, says, “Don’t let the cool, sophisticated surface of
Saints and Poets fool you: Gracie Terzian is a deep-dyed romantic who tells
her tales of modern love with quiet delicacy and an inborn musicality that’s
impossible to overlook. Of such debuts are great careers made.”

A member of Actors’ Equity Association, Gracie has worked extensively in

theatre and film as an actor, singer, dancer/acrobat and composer. She has
performed at many theatres including the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theatre,
Shakespeare Theatre Company, Folger Theatre and the American Theatre of
Actors. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Gracie is also an IWF offspring. Her mother, Grace Paine Terzian, former
IWF senior vice president and one of a group of early founders of the
organization, raised Gracie in the midst of producing IWF’s celebrated
Women’s Quarterly, and other duties.
PAST RECIPIENTS

Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor

The Honorable Lynne V. Cheney
The Honorable Elaine L. Chao
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
The Honorable Nancy G. Brinker
The Honorable R. Gaull Silberman
The Honorable Mary Bono
The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers
The Honorable Marsha Blackburn
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The Honorable Barbara Comstock
Carly Fiorina
Kellyanne Conway

Gentleman of Distinction
Steve Forbes
Ed Gillespie
Mark Steyn
 THANK YOU

To Our Generous Host Committee

Yvonne Boice
Honorable Capri S. Cafaro
Giovanna Cugnasca
Annie Dickerson
Lisa Gable
Susan Hirschmann
Clark Judge
Honorable Nan Hayworth
Claudette Lajam
Stephanie Lips
Adele Malpass
Camelia Mehrkar and Al Canata
Abby Moffat
Marlene Mieske and Neal Goldman
Lisa Nelson
Ted Olson
Myles Pollin and Kaitlin Trinh
Sabrina Schaeffer
Sandra Swirski
Dick and Mary Beth Weiss
Michaelon Wright
 THANK YOU

To Our Generous Sponsors

Platinum Silver
PhRMA ALEC
Triad Foundation Altria
Walton Family Foundation American Beverage Association
Karen Wright, Ariel Corporation Atlas Network
Bradley Impact Fund
Gold Charles Koch Institute
Dezenhall Resources DISCUS
Facebook DonorsTrust
Google Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Juul Labs Personal Care Products Council
Motion Picture Association of The Policy Circle
America
Urban Swirski & Associates, LLC
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
White House Writers Group
Williams & Jensen

Post Reception Sponsor

Dezenhall Resources

The signature drink tonight “Jane Keeps Walking”

is generously provided by
 WHO WE ARE

IWF Board of Directors IWF Leadership Circle

Heather R. Higgins, Chairman Sabrina Schaeffer, Chair
Yvonne S. Boice Mindy Berry
Giovanna Cugnasca Andrea Bottner
The Hon. Nan Hayworth Krista Cupp
Adele Malpass Kelly Cushman
Abby Moffat Susanna Dokupil
Myles Pollin Lisa Gable
Windi Grimes
IWF Board of Directors Emeritae Jennifer Higgins
Kellyanne Conway Clark Judge
Larry Kudlow Laura Cox Kaplan
Michaelon Wright Anne Kolton
Claudette Lajam
IWF Directors Emeritae Kate Pomeroy
Lynne V. Cheney Mercedes Schlapp
Midge Decter Sandra Swirski
Kimberly O. Dennis Janie Tisdale
Wendy Lee Gramm
Randy P. Kendrick
Elizabeth Lurie (deceased)
Kate O’Beirne (deceased)
Louise V. Oliver
Sally Pipes
Nancy M. Pfotenhauer
R. Gaull Silberman (deceased)
IWF Staff Policy
Carrie Lukas, President Hadley Heath Manning,
Amber Schwartz, Executive Director of Policy
Vice President Julie Gunlock, Director of the Center
for Progress and Innovation
Communications Charlotte Hays, Director of Cultural
Victoria Coley, Vice President Programs, Senior Editor
of Communications Heather Madden, Director of
Cassie Alsfeld, Copywriter Operations and Policy Research
Ericka Andersen, Digital Patrice Lee Onwuka, Senior
Marketing Director Policy Analyst
Betsy Pearson, Communications Inez Feltscher Stepman,
and Staff Assistant Senior Policy Analyst
Caroline Phelps, Senior Manager
of Strategic Communications Operations
Elizabeth Tew, Broadcast Pete Lips, Chief Financial Officer
Communications Specialist
Sekayi Stephens, Graphic Senior Fellows
Design Lead Karin Agness
Michele Vogt, Creative Design Vicki E. Alger, Ph.D
and Digital Specialist Jennifer C. Braceras
Amy Oliver Cooke
External Relations Rachel DiCarlo Currie
Andi Bottner, Senior Advisor Erin Hawley
Ashley MacLeay, Director of Coalitions Angela Logomasini
Elisha Maldonado
Investor Relations Nicole Neily
Somerlyn Cothran, Senior Vice Naomi Schaefer Riley
President of Investor Relations Claudia Rosett
Jennifer Marquez, Director of Lisa Schiffren
Foundation Relations
Terra McIntosh, Investor Visiting Fellows
Relations Assistant Sara Carter, Stephanie Green,
Casidy McMeans, Investor Kelsey Harkness, Karla Jacobs,
Relations Associate Kristin Shapiro, Christina
Villegas, Dr. Jamie Wells
Independent Women’s Voice
Champion Women Summit 2019
Educating / Empowering / Celebrating Women

June 9-10 / Hilton Anatole / Dallas, TX

Visit iwv.org for more information

 ALL ISSUES ARE
WOMEN’S ISSUES
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