The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth announced that Kenneth A. Hersh, president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Library, will receive its prestigious 2023 H. Neil Mallon Award.
The award is presented annually to individuals who have “excelled in promoting the international aspects and strengths of North Texas.” According to the announcement, the “pioneer investor and civic leader” has enriched the local community and beyond with outstanding leadership and innovation.
Leading the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Hersh works to advance policy solutions and public engagement for a better world for all. Before taking the reins at the Bush Center, he co-founded NGP Energy Capital Management, which has managed some $20 billion of cumulative committed capital since its beginning in 1988.
An active philanthropist personally and through the Hersh Foundation, Hersh has received several awards for his work in promoting human rights and innovation in the energy industry.
Life lessons in navigating uncertainty
Hersh has called his life a “series of historical accidents.”
In the leader’s just-released book, The Fastest Tortoise: Winning in Industries I Knew Nothing About, he chronicles the lessons learned from his many business and personal experiences.
The book, subtitled A Life Spent Figuring It Out, is a “nod to generalists,” Hersh said in an interview with Cheryl Hall at the Dallas Morning News. At NGP, the PE tycoon says he “carved out an understanding of an industry that I had no technical or working knowledge of and put that down on paper.” Similarly, as someone who wasn’t a “part of the Bush administration,” he brought his unique perspective to his role leading the nonprofit Bush Center.
“Hopefully that will be inspirational for people who are navigating uncertainty,” said Hersh, who added he’s “learned, listened, and picked up the work of people who were before me and carried on.”
November award ceremony
The upcoming award ceremony honoring Hersh is set to take place on November 1, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dallas. The event will be hosted by Dinner Co-Chairs Ambassador Robert W. Jordan, Kevin Murphy, Ambassador Jeanne L. Phillips, and Michele Wheeler, with Honorary Dinner Co-Chairs Dr. Bobby Lyle and Lottye Brodsky-Lyle, and Host Committee Co-Chairs Michael Dee and Brendan McGuire.
The event is expected to bring together influential personalities from the community to celebrate Hersh’s accomplishments and contributions, and a keynote speaker for the event will be announced later in the year.
Tickets and sponsorships are now available, with special early bird pricing available until August 1. According to the organization, funds raised from the event will support the council’s public and education programming, international exchanges, and diplomatic services.
The H. Neil Mallon Award is named for the late chairman of Dresser Industries, who established the World Affairs Council in Dallas in 1951.
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch. Here are our editors' picks. Plus, you'll find more selections to "save the date."
-
Welcome to the pulse of North Texas, where creativity and innovation converge to shape the future of business and beyond.
-
Peruse Dallas Innovates' special once-a-year magazines. Each edition is a keeper.
-
Don't miss your chance to get our biggest-ever Dallas Innovates magazine. Request a complimentary copy of the once-a-year limited edition now.
-
With a five-year, $11.3 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, researchers at UT Dallas' new Human Nociceptor and Spinal Cord Molecular Signature Center are digging into the causes of chronic pain and new ways to treat it. The center's leader, Dr. Ted Price, says the data generated "will fundamentally change the way that we think about pain and how we develop therapeutics."
