THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY JR. PRIZE DINNER
OCTOBER 24, 2024
THE PALMER HOUSE HOTEL
CHICAGO
HONORING
FATHER ROBERT SIRICO
The William F. Buckley Jr. Prize for Leadership in Political Thought
Introduced by The Honorable Betsy DeVos
AND
KIM DENNIS
The William F. Buckley Jr. Prize for Leadership in Supporting Liberty
Introduced by John Tillman
Invocation by Kathryn Jean Lopez
We have reserved a limited number of sleeping rooms at a discounted rate of $259 at the Palmer House Hotel (17 E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603). To reserve, please visit this link or call 800-445-8667, and mention the National Review Institute room block SRP code 97S.
BUCKLEY CIRCLE SPONSORS
John and Ann Buser, Texas
Debra and David Humphreys
Karen Buchwald Wright, Ohio
TRUSTEE CIRCLE SPONSORS
Laurel and Cliff Asness, Connecticut
Kenneth C. Griffin, Florida
PLATINUM SPONSORS
The Bahnsen Group
Peter & Judy Copses Foundation
The Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation
Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation
Meta
GOLD SPONSORS
Apricity Foundation
Wendy and Dale Brott, Ohio
Janet and Brad Childers, Texas
Joan and Michael Conway, California
James V. Lacy, California
Debbie and Brian Murdock, Florida
Marisabel and Jerry Raymond, New York
Paul E. Singer Foundation
Karen and Richard Spencer, California
Stand Together Trust
State Policy Network
Paul Schott Stevens, Virginia
Karan and Alec Taylor, New Jersey
Patrick Toomey, Pennsylvania
Madelene and Stan Towne, New York
Peter J. Travers, New Jersey
Anonymous
SILVER SPONSORS
Alliance Defending Freedom
American Culture Foundation
American Legislative Exchange Council
Erika and John Ammirati, California
Bradley Impact Fund
Teresa and Jack Clem, Texas
Kristen and Charles Correll, California
DonorsTrust
Leslie Graves and Eric O’Keefe, Wisconsin
Kristie and Kevin Hassett, Washington, DC
The Honorable John Hillen, Virginia
Dan McDonough, Pennsylvania
Property and Environment Research Center
Leah and James Turner, Indiana
Mary Beth and Dick Weiss, Florida
Mrs. Catherine Barr Windels, New York
BRONZE SPONSORS
Adams Family Foundation
American Enterprise Institute
Mary Ellen and Roger Borgelt, Texas
Laura and Peter Claude, Michigan
Diana and Jim Cusser, Kansas
Gigi and John Dalsheim, New York
Rachel and Pat English, Wisconsin
Michael Grebe, Wisconsin
Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky Josefiak
Dr. and Mrs. Gerard Jensen, California
Paul Kuhn, Tennessee
Anastasia Marty, New Jersey
Jenna and Blair Patteson, Tennessee
Dominick Schirripa, Virginia
Nina Shea and Adam Meyerson, Washington, DC
David Souther, Texas
Eden and Darren Springer, South Carolina
Nick Travers, Texas
Patti and Paul Verderese, Massachusetts
Vincent Vernuccio, Institute for the American Worker, Virginia
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
BURKE TO BUCKLEY HOST COMMITTEE
Samuel Bergh, Chicago
Gigi and Michael Brakey, Dallas
Florent Charpin, New York City
Helmut Fleps, Chicago
William MacGregor, New York City
Richard Montanye, New York City
Ilya Shapiro, Washington, DC
Maria Tuchina, Miami
About The Honorees
Kim Dennis is receiving the William F. Buckley Jr. Prize for Leadership in Supporting Liberty for her steadfast dedication to the ideas and principles championed by Bill Buckley, and especially her exceptional efforts during her remarkable career to promote liberty through philanthropy. After graduating from Bowdoin College Kim became a social worker in northern Maine, where her experience with the counterproductive effects of the U.S. welfare system led her to seek the education she never received in college, starting with the works of writers like Richard Cornuelle, Milton Friedman, Irving Kristol, and Bill Buckley. This interest in conservative and libertarian ideas soon led her to the John M. Olin Foundation, where she started as a secretary and eventually graduated to program officer. After five years at Olin and stints at the Pacific Research Institute and the Institute for Humane Studies, Dennis became the first executive director of the Philanthropy Roundtable. In her five years there the organization attracted a membership of some 450 grantmakers, who through its programs were introduced to ideas about how to use philanthropic resources to advance the cause of individual and economic freedom. Dennis and her colleague Whitney Ball later co-founded Donors Trust, a donor-advised fund that since its launch in 1999 has channeled more than $2 billion in donations to organizations that support the principles of liberty. In 1996 Dennis was hired by Daniel Searle to help craft a mission statement and governing document for his foundation. That turned into a part-time position running his foundation, along with a Searle-funded program at the American Enterprise Institute. In 2006 Dennis became the full-time president of the Searle Freedom Trust, a role she has held since and hopes to hold until the Trust sunsets in December of 2025. Dennis has been known throughout her career for her commitment to donor intent. When the Philanthropy Roundtable was founded donor intent was a little discussed concept. But owing to the tendency of foundations to drift to the left over time it became a rallying cry for conservative donors, and the Roundtable’s signature issue. Every foundation Dennis has either worked for or served on the board of (the John M. Olin Foundation, Searle Freedom Trust, W.H. Brady Foundation, Arthur N. Rupe Foundation, and Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation) either has or will shut its doors—the one sure way to prevent such drift. Donors Trust also requires its clients to sunset their accounts within 20 years after death. Dennis is proudest of her two children, Will and Jesse, whose commitment to the principles of liberty runs in the family blood.
Rev. Robert Sirico is co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, a non-profit, conservative, educational organization devoted to the promotion of a free and virtuous society. A regular writer and commentator on religious, political, economic, and social issues, Fr. Sirico’s contributions have been carried by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, National Review, Forbes, Washington Times and Atlantic. Notable among his many writings are: Defending the Free Market: The Moral Case for a Free Economy and The Economics of the Parables. Fr. Sirico is often called upon by members of the broadcast media for statements regarding economics, civil rights, and issues of religious concern, and has provided commentary for CNN, ABC, the BBC, NPR, and CBS’ 60 Minutes, among others. In addition to these media activities, Father Sirico has lectured at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. His speaking engagements have included lectures in Central and South America; Western, Central, and Eastern Europe; Australia; New Zealand; and South Africa. He has been a guest lecturer at the International Academy of Philosophy in Liechtenstein, the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, the University of Navarre, and the summer program of the Universitie d’Aix-en-Provence in France. Under Fr. Sirico’s leadership, the Acton Institute has emerged as a leading voice in promoting the understanding of economic and political benefits of private enterprise and the market economy—especially in terms of its ability to reduce poverty—while simultaneously illustrating that the long-term survival of business and the free economy depends first and foremost upon a virtuous citizenry and a government whose functions are carefully defined and limited by constitutional order. There is no organization comparable to the Acton Institute in terms of its specific mission and focus, and this is in no small part due to Fr. Sirico’s leadership and vision. Part of promoting the development of a free and virtuous society is the development of the youth. Because of this Fr. Sirico directed the development of the Emerging Leaders Program at Acton. Each summer Acton hosts a dual internship and seminar series to educate the next generation of leaders in the virtues of the free market and conservative leadership. While acting as full-time president at Acton Institute, he was also in full-time ministry as a Roman Catholic priest, including the last twelve years at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, and Sacred Heart Academy, which he transitioned in a few short years from failing to thriving, under a robustly traditional, and classical model. In response to a high demand for assistance from administrators of other Catholic schools , he founded the John Henry Newman Institute, to promote Catholic classical education and reverent liturgy. Fr. Sirico received his Master of Divinity degree from Catholic University of America, following undergraduate study at the University of Southern California and St. Mary’s College of the University of London. He has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Franciscan University of Steubenville, and the Universidad Francisco Marroquín. He holds dual Italian and American citizenship.
About The Gala
For his entire life, Bill Buckley sought to preserve and buttress the foundations of our free society. To honor his achievement and inspire others, NRI’s Board of Trustees has created the William F. Buckley Jr. Prizes for Leadership in Political Thought and Leadership in Supporting Liberty. The William F. Buckley Jr. Prize Dinner is an annual marquee event in the conservative movement that we move around the country each year to reach our broad base of supporters. Past galas hosted in New York City, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, and Palm Beach have allowed us to connect with our supporters in those areas and grow our national enterprise. We look forward to returning to California this fall, an area of strategic importance for National Review Institute.
Today, National Review Institute is enhancing and expanding its programs to better fulfill its mission—from equipping young conservative professionals and journalists, to promoting the work of the nation’s foremost proponents of a free society. With your help NRI continues to spread its influence and reach.