Award

This Matusak Courageous Leadership Award is a call to courage that requires a belief in something much larger than the individual; the type of courage fueled by a passion for the common good and a commitment to principles greater than self-interest; the kind of courage that once exhibited galvanizes others. As a former Leadership Scholar at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Director of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program, Dr. Larraine Matusak is an experienced scholar and practitioner of leadership and she has held a wide variety of leadership roles.

Dr. Matusak introduced this award to recognize and reward those individuals who boldly take a risk to stand up for what is right and just; who work for the common good; who are willing to take an unpopular stand even if doing so may jeopardize their jobs, cast them in an unpopular light or even cause them to lose friends. They are willing to act authentically and speak up when silence would mean colluding with the problem, and they boldly take actions that tangibly improve the human condition. In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “You must look fear in the face and do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Basic Criteria

• We define leadership as the ability and passion to attain positive results by encouraging others and by working with and through others to achieve a common good.
• True leaders are courageous people.
• They are not afraid to take a risk and they don’t waste much time worrying about what other people might think of them; they are more concerned about doing what is right and effective.
• They make every attempt to weave a shared vision, to align others toward a goal, and then with enthusiasm, energy, and commitment they are willing to walk near the edge and even do things that raise the eyebrows of those around them in order to achieve a positive goal that effects the common good…. to do what is right! que levantan las cejas de los que les rodean con el fin de lograr una meta positiva que afecta al bien común... haciendo lo que es correcto!
• Their risk taking is creative, reinforced by sound judgment, common sense and a profound sense of responsibility, honesty and truth.

Global Nomination Process

This award is not exclusive; anyone who exhibits the characteristics above may be nominated for the Award. This is a global award.

The nominator must be a Kellogg Fellow or Foundation staff.

Each nomination will be carefully reviewed by a selection committee led by Dr. Larraine R. Matusak and KFLA.

The Award: The award will be given in September of 2014 in the Republic of Panama. The recipient will receive a cash award of $3,000 that can use to further the recipients work. The award also includes expenses to have the recipient attend the award ceremony in the Republic of Panama at the Second Annual Latin America & Caribbean Forum.

We ask that the nominators not inform the potential candidate of his/her nomination.

All nominations must be submitted on or before May 16, 2014

Click here to make a nomination »