At the 2012 Hendrickson Forum, "Why Wikipedia Matters," Sue Gardner discussed a variety of topics:
Business model - How does a free service go from start-up in 2001 to one of the most accessed sites in the world in 10 years? And what's the next level? How are you planning for the next ten years? What lessons can private-sector businesses learn from Wikipedia?
Access to information - What role does Wikipedia play in educating people? Is there a time/place where you foresee Wikipedia going from "resource" to "replacing the classroom"?
Radicalization of information - As Wikipedia expands to more languages and greater coverage of more countries, how does it address opposing viewpoints and "revisionist" history? How does it manage to provide information under repressive regimes? What are the risks and benefits of providing unlimited access to information?
Wikipedia is the only encyclopedia ever written by ordinary people. It's free of censorship and bias, and it's not trying to sell you anything. It's the largest collection of collaboratively-created content ever and, with nearly half a billion readers, it's the most popular encyclopedia in human history.
Sue Gardner is the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, which manages Wikipedia, one of the world's 10-most-popular sites. Since her arrival at Wikipedia, Gardner has introduced major initiatives focused on organizational maturity, long-term sustainability, and increased participation, reach, and quality of the Foundation's free-knowledge projects.
Ms. Gardner was formerly head of CBC.CA, the internet platform for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio, TV, and new media public broadcaster and the nation's largest journalistic organization. Under her leadership, CBC.CA experienced a historic audience surge and launched many new major multimedia technologies, including podcasting, breaking news alerts, live event blogging, and many forms of user interaction.
Since beginning her career in 1990 at the now-classic radio program As It Happens, Ms. Gardner has worked in all forms of media to create high-quality, award-winning programming. As a journalist, she specialized in pop culture, social issues and media analysis, covering stories such as manipulation of the news media during the first Gulf War, the rise of gated communities in California, the racial implications of the return of the death penalty to New York, the dawn of interactive media, and the rise and fall of rave culture in the UK.
2011
Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen Fund and author of The Blue Sweater
Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. For her work with Acumen, Ms. Novogratz was named a TIME magazine "Responsibility Pioneer," recognized for her work in changing the world for the better. The Daily Beast named her one of the "25 Smartest People of the Decade" and Foreign Policy recognized her as one of the world's "Top 100 Global Thinkers."
2010
Dr. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, University Professor of Globalization & Education at New York University
Dr. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco is a distinguished scholar and lecturer on immigration, globalization and education. He is the co-founder of the Harvard Immigration Projects and is currently the Richard Fisher Membership Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and the Courtney Sale Ross University Professor of Globalization and Education at New York University.
As the Prime Minister of Australia from March 1996 until December 2007, the Honorable John Winston Howard served a distinctively Western role in the Asian-Pacific Rim. Mr. Howard approached his responsibilities from a global viewpoint, providing economic vision and security strategies that raised Australia's profile and impact around the world as well as improving economic stability at home.
During Mr. Howard's tenure:
Ten of the 12 annual budgets produced by the Howard government were in surplus and $96 billion of federal government debt was repaid.
Economic growth averaged 3.6 percent per annum and the unemployment rate sank to a 33-year low of 4.3 percent.
Extensive trade expansion with the nations of Asia created new markets, particularly the development of the relationship with China, which is now Australia's largest export market.
2008
John Micklethwait Editor-in-Chief of The Economist
John Micklethwait is one of the world's foremost authorities on globalization – how it works and where it's headed – and a leading proponent of its positive impact and potential. He is the coauthor/coeditor of two books on globalization: A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Promise of Globalization and Globalisation: Making sense of an integrating world.
Mr. Micklethwait is also an expert on American business and culture, and on American politics and American foreign and defense policy. He was head of the magazine's U.S. section from 1999 to 2006.
He is the coauthor, with Adrian Wooldridge, of The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America.Mr. Micklethwait is currently editor-in-chief of The Economist, the world's leading business and current affairs weekly. He is a winner of the Wincott Award, Britain's leading prize for financial journalism.He has appeared on television and radio throughout the world and written op-ed articles for the world's premier print news journals.
His book, The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea, was named one of the ten best books of 2003 by BusinessWeek.
Richard Davis, chairman, president and CEO of U.S. Bancorp, the parent company of U.S. Bank, was the 2011 recipient of the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership.
The recipient of the 2010 Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership, Dr. Eric J. Jolly, makes a significant contribution to the Twin Cities area as president of the Science Museum of Minnesota and through his personal commitments.
The inaugural Hendrickson Institute Medal for Ethical Leadership was awarded to Warren and Mary Lynn Staley for their outstanding contributions to ethical leadership, both in Twin Cities philanthropic organizations and in Warren's former role as chairman of Cargill, Inc. Both have served as role models for young and emerging ethical leaders, including Mr. Staley's service as chairman of the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation and Mrs. Staley's consistent commitment to education as a teacher and volunteer with organizations that serve children.
