On Friday, April 10, 2015, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy hosted a gala honoring L.E. and Virginia Simmons with the James A. Baker III Prize for Excellence in Leadership. The gala benefited the establishment of the Center for Health and Biosciences at the Baker Institute.
The James A. Baker III Prize for Excellence in Leadership recognizes nationally and internationally renowned individuals for outstanding achievements in government, business, science, education or philanthropy. We award this prize to those who exemplify the vision of building “a bridge between the world of ideas and the world of action,” conceived by the Honorable James A. Baker, III, when he established the Baker Institute. Recipients embody the institute’s mission to nurture the ties between academia, government and the private sector. Past recipients include the Honorable Hushang Ansary in 2013, Robert C. McNair in 2009, General Colin L. Powell in 2007, and the Honorable Charles W. Duncan Jr. in 2006.