13 Esteemed Business, Civic and Cultural Leaders Honored with Prestigious 2019 Horatio Alger Award

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education, today announced the recipients of its 2019 Horatio Alger Award. Bestowed annually upon accomplished corporate, civic and cultural leaders from across North America, all of whom have succeeded despite facing challenges, this award recognizes the new Members' ongoing commitment to higher education and their generosity to myriad philanthropic endeavors.

Horatio Alger Association will honor the following 13 individuals, all embodying the Association's core values of perseverance, integrity and a commitment to excellence, with lifetime membership into the organization:

• David P. Abney, chairman and CEO, United Parcel Service
• James W. Ayers, executive chairman of the board, FirstBank
• Colonel Vance L. Cryer, director of operations and experimentation, IOMAXIS
• Amy Dickinson, syndicated advice columnist, "Ask Amy"
• John J. Haley, chief executive officer, Willis Towers Watson
• Jay S. Hennick, global chairman and CEO, Colliers International; founder and chairman, FirstService Corporation
• K. Michael Ingram, founder, chairman and chief executive officer, El Dorado Holdings, Inc.
• Jewel Kilcher, award winning singer-songwriter, actress and New York Times best-selling author
• Ronald J. Kruszewski, chairman and CEO, Stifel Financial Corp.
• Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO, KIND Healthy Snacks
• John C. Maxwell, author, speaker and founder, The John Maxwell Co. and The John Maxwell Team
• Chandrika K. Tandon, business leader, Grammy-nominated musician and humanitarian
• William C. Weldon, retired chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson            

"Each year the Association recognizes and celebrates individuals who have risen to great success despite facing great adversity," said Byron D. Trott, chairman, Horatio Alger Association and 2011 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "The 13 honorees selected this year exemplify the attributes that we value in our Membership: determination, tenacity and generosity. We have every confidence that each of our 2019 New Members will preserve and extend the important mission of our organization for years to come."   

Horatio Alger Association aims to educate young people about the limitless opportunities afforded to them by the free-enterprise system through its Members. To further this goal, the organization awards scholarships to outstanding students who are committed to pursuing higher education and serving their communities. Like Association Members, Horatio Alger Scholars have faced significant adversities, but each has also displayed unmatched resilience in overcoming their respective challenges. Since the scholarship program was established in 1984, Horatio Alger Association has provided more than $159 million to more than 25,000 students in need. Scholarships are privately funded solely through the generosity of Association Members and friends of the organization.

"Through trials and tribulations, this impressive group of men and women selected to receive the 2019 Horatio Alger Award have been resolute in pursuit of their goals and in service to their communities," said Matthew Rose, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. "I am proud to welcome this new class of Members who will support our Scholars as they pursue their own dreams of higher education."

"72 years ago, the Horatio Alger Association was established to honor distinguished individuals who exemplify the concept of self-made success," said Terrence J. Giroux, executive director, Horatio Alger Association. "Each individual inducted into the Association demonstrates what our Scholars can achieve when they take advantage of the opportunities presented to them ? and this class is no exception. Our New Members are extraordinary individuals, and we could not be more pleased to have them join our organization."

The 2019 Horatio Alger Award recipients will be formally inducted into the Association on April 4-6, 2019, during the Association's 72^nd Horatio Alger Award Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The annual three-day event honors the achievements of both Members and National Scholars, affording both groups the opportunity to meet and interact as well as exchange stories of hardships and triumphs.

For more information about Horatio Alger Association and its Member Class of 2019, please visit www.horatioalger.org and/or follow the organization on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #HoratioAlgerAward.

About Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans:
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. The Association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime Members. Horatio Alger Members support promising young people with the resources and confidence needed to overcome adversity in pursuit of their dreams through higher education. Through the generosity of its Members and friends, in 2018, the Association awarded more than $16 million in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships across the United States and Canada, and also provided college support and mentoring services to its Scholars. Since 1984, the Association has awarded more than $159 million in college scholarships to more than 25,000 deserving young people. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org.

CONTACT:
Carly Buggy
484-385-2934 (office)
[email protected]

SOURCE Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc.