Gannett Director Donna Shalala to Be Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
McLEAN, VA – Donna Shalala, a Gannett director since June 2001, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in a White House ceremony on June 19. The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor.
“Donna Shalala is a remarkable American and deeply deserving of this wonderful honor. She has spent a lifetime breaking barriers, leading change and speaking out for the underdog. We are thrilled for her and proud she is a member of the Gannett family,” said Craig A. Dubow, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).
In announcing the honor, the White House said Shalala is “one of our nation’s most distinguished educators and public officials. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that all Americans can enjoy lives of hope, promise, and dignity.”
Shalala is currently the president of the University of Miami (FL). In 1993, she was named U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by President Clinton and served eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history.
She also has held tenured professorships at Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She served as President of Hunter College of CUNY from 1980 to 1987 and as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1987 to 1993. She was a member of the Peace Corp in Iran from 1962 to 1964 and served as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Carter.
Most recently, she was named by President Bush to co-chair, along with former U.S. Senator Bob Dole, a bipartisan commission that examined problems at U.S. military and veterans’ hospitals.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that operates 23 TV stations and publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 900 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles, including 17 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
Media inquiries:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
(703) 854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com