2009 CEF Gala Awards Banquet
The 2009 CEF Gala Reception and Awards Banquet was held on September 30th, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC. It celebrated 40 years of advocating for federal education funding.
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- CEF Members at Gala reception
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- Representative Tim Bishop (Democrat-New York) recieving the William Natcher Award from CEF VP Jon Fansmith
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- CEF President Deborah Rigsby and Gala Attendees
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- CEF President Deborah Rigsby speaking at the annual Gala
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- CEF Executive Director Ed Kealy and current President Deborah Rigsby
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- CEF Executive Director Ed Kealy and former CEF staff
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- CEF Executive Director Ed Kealy a Special Recognition Award for his 15 years of service from 1995 CEF President John Forkenbrock
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- CEF members at the reception
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- CEF members enjoying the night’s events
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- CEF members discussing the importance of education funding at annual Gala
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- CEF Executive Director Ed Kealy, wife Mary Kealy, and CEF VP Jon Fansmith applauding one of the CEF award winners
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- CEF members networking at the reception
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- CEF members enjoying the reception.
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- Former CEF Presidents
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- Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (Republican-Pennsylvania) receiving the 2009 Outstanding New Member Award for his dedication career and technical education funding from Jaime Baxter of the Association for Career and Technical Education
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- Representative Patrick Kennedy (Democrat-Rhode Island) recieves the first Edward M. Kennedy Extraordinary Service Award on behalf of his father from CEF Gala Co-Chair Cyndy Littlefield
Photos courtesy of Parallax Productions.
2009 CEF Legislative Conference
The Committee Education Funding’s 2009 Legislative Conference featured a bipartisan all-star lineup of speakers. Check out the pictures below to see who was at the event and what happened.
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- Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (Democrat-Illinois) discussing the need to improve the DC school system, increase direct loans, enhance opportunities with the DREAM Act, and improve education programs by following the examples set by school systems that work.
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- Representative Tom Petri spoke on the need to spend education resources more effectively while taking advantage of teachers’ strengths
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- CEF Vice President Jon Fansmith presenting Senator Jim Webb the Special Recognition Award for his work on the Post 9/11 GI Bill
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- Senator Sherrod Brown stressing the need to support students who are the first in their families to go to college.
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- A White House Panel featuring Kathryn Stack from the Office of Management and Budget and Roberto Rodriguez from the White House Domestic Policy Council discussed the Obama adminsitrations focus on reducing the dropout rate and achievement gap while using programs that empirical studies have shown work.
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- Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California) explaining that education needs to be funded in all areas from construction to science because all roads lead back to education.
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- Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California) recieved the Richard W. Riley Career Service Award for her work on the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
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- Representative Mike Honda (Democrat-California) discussing the need for California schools to find more efficient ways to buy textbooks and to equalize attendance and test results
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- Representative Gwen Moore (Democrat-Wisconsin) spoke passionately about our economy will only grow with an educated workforce.
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- Representative Vernon Ehlers (Republican-Michigan) speaking on education policy.
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- Attendees at the 2009 Committee for Education Funding Legislative Conference.
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- Senator Sherrod Brown (Democrat-Ohio) with Angela Peoples from the United States Students Association and Rich Williams from U.S. Public Interest Research Groups
Photos courtesy of Parallax Productions.
The Committee for Education Funding Awards Representative Tim Bishop
Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY) received the William H. Natcher Distinguished Service Award “for distinguished service during this session of Congress in elevating the priority for education funding to enusre better opportunities for our nation’s citizens.”
His press release is here.
The Committee for Education Funding Awards Representative Glenn Thompson
Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) received the 2009 Outstanding New Member Award “for demonstrating commitment to our nation’s students by advocating education as an investment in the future.”
His press release is here.
The Centre Daily Times discussed it here and mentioned CEF’s other award winners as well.
Committee for Education Funding Awards Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) received the Richard W. Riley Career Service Award “for an outstanding career of exemplary support of better education for all.”
Her press release is here.
The Committee for Education Funding Awards Senator Jim Webb
Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) received the Committee for Education Funding’s Special Recognition Award “for outstanding dedication to the success of America’s Students and for making education a national priority.”
His press release is here.
CEF 2008 Gala Reception and Awards Banquet
Last year’s annual gala was a great success, and we are looking forward to celebrating CEF’s 40th anniversary this year!
Last year we honored retiring Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA). Congressman Regula and his wife, Mary, accepted the Richard W. Riley Career Service Award with a moving speech that showed the couple’s lifelong commitment to education. Representative Scott was presented with the William H. Natcher Distinguished Service Award.
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- Congressman Scott and CEF President Deborah Rigsby with his award
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- Mary Regula, Congressman Regula, and Former CEF President Hilary Goldmann with the award
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- Congressmen Ralph Regula and Bill Young
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- Congressman Scott with gala attendees
2008 CEF Legislative Conference
Last year our Legislative Conference featured several notable speakers who played significant roles in advancing CEF’s mission. Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL) discussed the importance of education funding and the great educational disparities between upper and lower income communities, and touted the passage of his College Textbook Affordability Act.
House Appropriations Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) applauded Chairman Obey’s current leadership, refusing to accept the president’s budget request, which would flat fund the Department of Education’s discretionary budget for FY09.
Fellow House Appropriator Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) noted the importance of federal financial aid programs and called for the repeal of the Bush tax cuts so the federal government can invest in America’s educational system.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) discussed the upcoming congressional elections, predicting that the Democratic Party would retain control of both the House and Senate.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) reiterated Senator Durbin and Congressman Van Hollen’s remarks, promising that education funding will fare much better if Senator Obama is elected president.
Senator Harkin also presented the Terrel H. Bell award to Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) with praise for the Senator’s decades of service, showing deep admiration for his colleague.
Finally, Mark Shriver of Save the Children accepted the Charles Wilson Lee Award on behalf of his mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities.
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- Senator Harkin presenting Senator Byrd with his award
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- Senator Byrd with Gala Committee Co-Chair Cyndy Littlefield
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- Senator Durbin stressed that, like our financial system, education is “too big to fail.”
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- Senator Harkin remarked that, “Less than a year of funding for the Iraq war could provide $70 billion toward fully funding the NCLB”
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- Congresswoman Lowey expressed admiration for her colleague Congressman Ralph Regula’s years of service
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- Congresswoman McCollum was the only Democrat to vote against NCLB, because she feared it would be underfunded
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- CEF Vice President Jon Fansmith presenting Mr. Shriver with the award
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- Congressman Van Hollen noted that many Republican seats are vulnerable to Democrats this election year
Pictures Provided by Parallax Productions, Inc.
