Now in its sixth year, the Ethics Advocate Award is a prestigious recognition of an individual who has been an effective agent of change - in a particular field or in the business community at large. Nominees may be from anywhere in the world, but must be willing to attend a gala and give an acceptance address.

Unlike ethics and leadership awards that recognize individuals for leading exemplary lives, the Ethics Advocate Award was created to recognize specific acts of ethical advocacy. Past honorees provide excellent examples:

• Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham was recognized for advocating reforms to promote ethics, equality and fairness in the state's judiciary;
• Mr. Ray Anderson, chairman of Interface Inc., was honored for his advocacy of environmental sustainability;
• Mr. Bill Bolling, executive director of the Atlanta Community Food Bank, was chosen for urging businesses to take seriously their ethical responsibilities to the hungry and illiterate;
• Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin was selected for her advocacy of an "ethics first" approach to restore trust in city government, and
• entrepreneur Charles Brewer, founder of MindSpring Enterprises and Green Street Properties, was honored for his public advocacy of values-based management.

Although these individuals took action to elevate ethical standards in different venues, all were recognized for the positive impact of their work on society.

John Knapp on the Ethics Advocate Award (duration: 4m 43s)

From 2007 awards gala: At left, Betty Siegel, President Emeritus at Kennesaw State University, pictured with John C. Knapp, founder of The Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility. Dr. Siegel was given special recognition for a lifetime of ethics advocacy.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria are based on Aristotle's three components of ethical action: Perception, to recognize what needs to be done; Reason, to formulate and put forth practical solutions; and Desire, to persevere in bringing about positive change. The selection committee evaluates the following characteristics of nominees, who must have demonstrated leadership by:

• Perceiving and raising awareness of a need, problem or opportunity that should be addressed
• Advocating a practical solution or course of action to benefit the common good
• Inspiring others to share his or her vision and goals

Nominees may reside in any geographic region. Posthumous nominations are considered only in special circumstances. A volunteer committee of business and community leaders evaluate the nominations and recommend an honoree to the board of directors of The Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility. The Board of Directors is solely responsible for the final selection of the recipient of the Ethics Advocate Award.

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The Presentation Sculpture

World-renowned artist Malcolm Grear has captured the spirit of the Ethics Advocate Award in a unique sculpture that is presented to the honoree. For 44 years a leading figure in American design, Mr. Grear is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Rhode Island School of Design and is best known to Atlantans as the creator of the athletes' medals and other design elements of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In 1998, he received the Claiborne Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts, an honor also given to Arthur Miller, Steven Sondheim, Toni Morrison, Robert Redford and Maurice Sendak.

The sculpture consists of a sphere within a crystal cube, resting on a patina bronze base bearing the honoree's name. The cube is engraved with the words Perception, Reason, Desire.  Mr Grear describes the symbolism of the design:

"The cube is reflective and seems to be lit from within, referencing a 'light in the world.'  Suspended and placed directly in the center of the crystal cube is a semi-transparent sphere that seems to be floating. Such suspension references an inner control in the individual that Aristotle believed was of great ethical value. The physical sphere is made up of countless small points simultaneously forming one large point. The Ethics Advocate is an individual whose actions contain the possibility for positive influence of other individuals and thus a community."

"The Ethics Advocate Award offers two things. First, it helps provides an opportunity for us to appreciate the choices the recipient has made, and to evaluate the positive influence of such championing. But second it involves a reflective sharpening of our own moral awareness and the possibility for the same new level of awareness within our community. This sculpture, a work of art, like advocacy itself, is a human being's attempt to reach beyond the self, to tap into, if only for an instant, something higher; to communicate and affect change. Advocacy of ethics is a product of a well-lived life, the material for constructing a lasting work of art."

For more information, please email or call The Center for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility at 404-413-7421.

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