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Heather Award

2011 Heather Award:  Anna Lefer Kuhn
 
A recognized leader in philanthropy and the progressive movement, Anna Lefer Kuhn was appointed Executive Director of the Arca Foundation in 2008. With a history of leadership by trailblazing women executive directors, Arca supports innovative and strategic efforts that advance equity, accountability, social justice and participatory democracy in the US and abroad. Prior to Arca, Anna dedicated her career to centralizing the role of diverse young people in social change movements. As a Program Officer at the Open Society Institute (OSI), Anna conceived of and led a multi-year, $8 million initiative that helped to build a movement of progressive young activists leading change on critical issues. In addition, Anna coordinated OSI’s Youth Media Program, a six-year, $12 million initiative that provided low-income youth with opportunities to affect public debate and to develop critical thinking and communication skills.

A committed activist, Anna has served on boards of a number of organizations, including the White House Project, the Urban Justice Center and the League of Young Voters; and she is on the advisory boards of the Youth Engagement Fund, a project she launched with the Democracy Alliance, the Drum Major Institute Scholars Program and Generation Change, a project of the Center for Community Change. Anna is a graduate of Wesleyan University, and was a member of the 2004-2005 class of Coro Leadership New York.

Anna lives in Washington DC with her husband Jonathan, an architect, and their two children.

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 History of the Heather Award

In 2004 on the occasion of Heather Booth's birthday, the Midwest Academy announced the establishment of the Heather Award. 
 
With a back pay settlement of $10,000 Heather Booth founded the Midwest Academy in 1973 to train organizers for the progressive movement. As Heather moved from being a trainer at the Academy to a series of critical social change organizations and campaigns she always made room for developing new organizers.
 
Whether late at night or early morning there were and continue to be a series of organizers who look to Heather for inspiration, guidance, and hands-on, how-to help.  Each year The Heather Award goes to a woman organizer who demonstrates that she embraces the values and vision of Heather Booth and the Midwest Academy.   

Previous Heather Award Winners