October 5, 2016
Press contact: Rachel Flor (617) 514-1662
Rachel.Flor@JFKLFoundation.org
GE Chairman & CEO Jeff Immelt to Chair JFK Library Foundation Gala Celebrating the John F. Kennedy Centennial
BOSTON, MA – The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced that Jeff Immelt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GE, will chair the institution’s signature fundraising gala on Sunday, May 7, 2017. The May Dinner is held annually in honor of President Kennedy’s birthday and will serve as a cornerstone of the Foundation’s 2017 centennial celebration of the birth of the nation’s 35th President.
The gala provides critical financial support to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, helping to underwrite a range of programs that serve hundreds of thousands of people annually, including 25,000 students who participate free of charge in guided museum visits, multi-school programs, youth participation in the Kennedy Library Forum series, as well as arts and cultural programming. An additional highlight of the dinner is celebrating the honoree of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, which is presented each year to a public servant who has made a courageous decision of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences.
“As we look forward to celebrating John F. Kennedy’s Centennial, I couldn’t think of a better person to take the reins of the May Dinner than Jeff Immelt,” said Kenneth R. Feinberg, Chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “Jeff is a globally recognized leader and a welcome addition to the Boston business community. We are fortunate to have him join us as we seek to inspire new generations to ask what they can do for their country.”
“It is a tremendous honor to serve as Chair of the Kennedy Library Foundation’s Centennial May Dinner,” said Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE. “John F. Kennedy symbolized hope and courage, and his leadership qualities resonate to this day. I am proud to be a part of this effort and support the Library in the important work that they do in education and research and in honor of our nation’s 35th President.”
Through a bi-partisan effort in the House of Representatives and the Senate, Congress recently passed legislation to establish the “John F. Kennedy Centennial Commission” that will plan, develop, and carry out activities to honor President Kennedy during 2017. Centennial programming sponsored by the Kennedy Library and Foundation will include national forums and conferences, special concerts and exhibits, dynamic educational activities for students and families, and the May Dinner Centennial Gala. The events will highlight five key areas of the President’s legacy: science and innovation, arts and culture, civil rights, peace and diplomacy, and public service.
Jeff Immelt is Chairman and CEO of GE, which recently relocated its global headquarters to Boston. This is the first philanthropic event Immelt will chair in Boston since GE announced plans to move to the city. Immelt has held several global leadership positions since coming to GE in 1982, including roles in GE's Plastics, Appliances, and Healthcare businesses. In 1989 he became an officer of GE and joined the GE Capital Board in 1997. Immelt has been named one of the "World's Best CEOs" three times by Barron's, and since he began serving as chief executive officer, GE has been named "America's Most Admired Company" in a poll conducted by Fortune magazine and one of "The World's Most Respected Companies" in polls by Barron's and the Financial Times. Immelt was the chair of President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. He is a member of The American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Past May Dinner gala co-chairs include John Hancock Financial Services EVP, CAO, and General Counsel James D. Gallagher; Putnam President and CEO Robert L. Reynolds; Co-Chairman of Horizon Beverage Group Robert Epstein; Staples Chairman Ronald L. Sargent; Bank of America Vice Chairman Anne M. Finucane; former Fidelity executive Peter Lynch; New England Patriots owner Robert K. Kraft; retired Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson; The Partnership President and CEO Carol Fulp; and Boston attorney Gerard Doherty.
About GE
GE is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry.
About the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization founded in 1984 to provide financial support, staffing, and creative resources for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. The Kennedy Presidential Library and the Kennedy Library Foundation seek to promote, through educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, and culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.
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