Wilson Awards 2021 Awardees

David R. Malpass
President
World Bank Group

David R. Malpass was selected as 13th President of the World Bank Group by its Board of Executive Directors on April 5, 2019. His five-year term began on April 9.

Mr. Malpass previously served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs for the United States. In this role, he represented the United States in international settings, including the G-7 and G-20 Deputy Finance Ministerial, World Bank–IMF Spring and Annual Meetings, and meetings of the Financial Stability Board, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Before joining the U.S. Treasury, Mr. Malpass was an international economist and founder of a macroeconomics research firm based in New York City. He served as chief economist of Bear Stearns and conducted financial analyses of countries around the world.

Previously, Mr. Malpass also served as the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Developing Nations and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Latin American Economic Affairs.

Mr. Malpass earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and his MBA from the University of Denver. He was a CPA and undertook advanced graduate work in international economics at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He and his wife, Adele Malpass, a journalist, live in Washington, D.C. They have four children and share a strong family interest in development issues.

The Honorable Roger F. Wicker
United States Senator
(R-MS)

United States Senator Roger F. Wicker has represented the state of Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Wicker is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for the 117th Congress. He also is the second-highest ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Senator Wicker’s other committee assignments include the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Rules and Administration Committee. He is co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and serves as Vice-President of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly. Senator Wicker also serves as a member of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Congressional Board of Visitors.

From 1995 to 2007, Wicker served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He started his career in public service in the Mississippi Senate representing Lee and Pontotoc counties. He also served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, retiring from the reserve in 2004 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He received his bachelor and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. Senator Wicker and his wife, Gayle, live in Tupelo and have three children and seven grandchildren.

The Honorable Betty McCollum
United States Representative
(DFL-MN)

Betty McCollum is a Democrat serving her eleventh term in the United States House of Representatives, representing the families of Minnesota’s Fourth District. In 2000, Congresswoman McCollum made history as only the second Minnesota woman elected to serve in Congress since statehood in 1858. She represents the residents of Minnesota's capital city, St. Paul, as well as all of Ramsey County and most of Washington County.

Throughout her career in public service, Congresswoman McCollum has been a champion for excellence in education, protecting the environment, expanding health care access, and robust international engagement that prioritizes diplomacy and development, along with a strong national defense.

In the 117th Congress, Congresswoman McCollum has brought a common sense, Minnesota perspective to her work as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee where she serves as Chair of the Defense Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, and as a member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Subcommittee.

Stéphane Bancel
Chief Executive Officer
Moderna

Stéphane Bancel has served as Moderna's Chief Executive Officer since October 2011 and as a member of Moderna’s board of directors since March 2011. Before joining the Company, Mr. Bancel served for five years as Chief Executive Officer of the French diagnostics company bioMérieux SA.

From July 2000 to March 2006, Mr. Bancel served in various roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including as Managing Director, Belgium, and as Executive Director, Global Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain. Prior to his tenure ay Lilly, he served as Asia-Pacific Sales and Marketing Director for bioMérieux.

Mr. Bancel currently serves on the board of directors of Qiagen N.V. and Indigo. He is currently a Venture Partner at Flagship Pioneering and a trustee of the Museum of Science in Boston. He holds a Master of Engineering degree from École Centrale Paris (ECP), a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Alex Gorsky
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Johnson & Johnson

Alex Gorsky is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, one of just seven leaders who have served in the dual role since the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1944.

Mr. Gorsky began his Johnson & Johnson career as a sales representative with Janssen Pharmaceutica in 1988, and advanced through positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, and management at the company, culminating in being named CEO and Chairman in 2012.

Under Mr. Gorsky’s leadership, Johnson & Johnson has both upheld the company’s 133-year legacy of delivering solutions to the world’s most urgent unmet healthcare needs, and continued to redefine expectations when it comes to purpose-driven innovation and sustainable growth on behalf of all stakeholders.

During Mr. Gorsky’s tenure, Johnson & Johnson has become a leading global Pharmaceutical company as well as the industry’s number one investor in research and development. The Medical Device sector is at the forefront of applying cutting-edge technology to surgery, vision care, orthopedics, and interventional solutions. And the Consumer Health business continues to evolve its portfolio of both iconic heritage brands and innovative standouts in self-care and skin health.

After completing his undergraduate education at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, Mr. Gorsky served six years in the Army. He earned his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. He has been married to his wife, Patricia, for more than 30 years, and they are the parents to one son, Nick.

Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield
U.S. Ambassador to the UN and U.S. Representative to the UN Security Council

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to be the U.S. Representative to the United Nations and the U.S. Representative in the UN Security Council on January 20, 2021. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 23, 2021, and sworn in on February 24, 2021, by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield returned to public service after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017. From 2013 to 2017 she served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Prior to this appointment, she served as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, leading a team in charge of the State Department’s 70,000-strong workforce.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s career includes an ambassadorship to Liberia, and postings in Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica.  In Washington, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is the recipient of multiple distinguished awards.  She holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she also did work towards a doctorate.

The Honorable Karen Bass
United States Representative
(D-CA)

Congressmember Karen Bass is serving her sixth term representing California’s 37th Congressional District. She serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where she is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights. Congressmember Bass also serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.

Congressmember Bass served as the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2019 and 2020, during which she helped to create a targeted response to the COVID-19 pandemic and initiate a national needs assessment for communities of color. She also introduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Congressmember Bass also serves on the Judiciary Committee and on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. She passed sweeping criminal justice reforms including the First Step Act. She also helped pass the Equality Act of 2020.

Prior to her election to Congress, Chairwoman Bass served in the California State Assembly, where in 2008, she was the first-ever African-American woman in U.S. history to serve as Speaker of any state legislature.

Congressmember Bass grew up in the Venice/Fairfax area of Los Angeles, the same area she represents today in Congress. She is a graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills, the University of Southern California’s School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program, and the USC Masters Program in Social Work.

Congressmember Bass had one daughter, Emilia Bass-Lechuga and son-in-law Michael Wright. She continues to be inspired by Emilia and Michael’s passion for life. Emilia planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps working for social change. Congressmember Bass also has four step-children.