FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
M.C. Dunn
mcdunn@navymemorial.org
United States Navy Memorial
(202) 380- 0728
Julia Hobbes
julia@lindarothpr.com
Linda Roth Associates, Inc.
(703) 417-2709
Sam Nunn, Jim Skinner and Bob Stevens to Receive Coveted Lone Sailor Award
Prominent Veterans to be Recognized for Service to Country
and Community at September 17 Dinner Gala
WASHINGTON, D.C. [August 28, 2014] - Sam Nunn, a Coast Guard veteran and former U.S.
Senator, Jim Skinner, a Navy veteran and former CEO of the McDonald’s Corporation, and Bob
Stevens, a Marine Corps veteran and the former Chairman, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin,
will be honored for their service to country and community at the United States Navy Memorial’s 2014
Lone Sailor Awards Dinner on Wednesday, September 17. The black tie gala will be held at the National
Building Museum, located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C.
The Lone Sailor Award is given to Sea Service veterans who have excelled with distinction in their
respective civilian careers while exemplifying the Navy’s core values of Honor, Courage and
Commitment. In receiving the Lone Sailor Award, Nunn, Skinner and Stevens join an impressive list of
men and women who have distinguished themselves by drawing upon their military experience.
Former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn is distinguished for being a leading expert in Congress, and all of the
United States, on national security and foreign policy. After attending Georgia Tech and graduating from
Emory University, Senator Nunn received a degree from the Emory University School of Law in 1962. He
actively served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and then went on to serve six years in the Coast Guard Reserve
while he practiced law in his hometown of Perry, Georgia. Senator Nunn began his political career as a
member of the Georgia House of Representatives in 1968, and was elected to the U.S. Senate four years
later. During his 24-year tenure as U.S. Senator from Georgia, Senator Nunn enacted the landmark
Department of Defense Reorganization Act and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program
which has deactivated more than 7,500 nuclear warheads to date. In 1994, along with President Jimmy
Carter and General Colin Powell, he successfully managed to force the departure of the military dictator
Lieutenant General Raoul Cédras from Haiti. Senator Nunn, along with Republican Senator and coauthor of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program Richard Lugar, has received
nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times. In 2004, they were jointly awarded the Heinz
Awards Chairman’s Medal for their work. Senator Nunn currently serves as the co-chairman and CEO of
the Nuclear Threat Initiative and is a distinguished professor at the Sam Nunn School of International
Affairs at Georgia Tech.
Jim Skinner has received recognition for his sharp business acumen and leadership skills throughout his
civilian career. Skinner was appointed McDonald’s CEO in 2004 and propelled the company onto an
unprecedented path of growth and change. After graduating from West High School in Davenport, Iowa,
Skinner went on to serve almost 10 years in the United States Navy, completing two tours in the Gulf of
Tonkin during the Vietnam War. Skinner began his career with the McDonald’s Corporation in 1971 as a
restaurant manager trainee in Carpentersville, Illinois. During his 41-year career with the corporation,
Skinner advanced quickly through the ranks and held numerous positions including President of Europe,
President of McDonald's, and Vice Chairman, prior to being appointed CEO. Skinner was among the
group of executives that designed the “Plan to Win” strategy, which was announced in 2003. The plan
focused on reversing falling profits by focusing on improving locations that already existed instead of
expanding. Under Skinner’s leadership, McDonalds Corporation had one of the most successful streaks
in its history. Chief Executive Magazine named him the "2009 CEO of the Year" and Barron’s recognized
him as one of the “30 Most Respected CEOs.” He was also listed in SmartMoney’s Power 30: The World's
Most Influential Players. Most recently, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation
Award in 2013. Skinner currently serves on the Board of Hewlett-Packard, Ronald McDonald House
Charities, the Walgreen Company, and ITW (Illinois Tool Works).
Bob Stevens is recognized for his outstanding leadership of Lockheed Martin—a $45 billion global
security powerhouse with more than 113,000 employees—and for establishing new standards for
leadership excellence that remain a core component of its success. Stevens led the company from
August 2004, when he was named CEO, to December 2013, when he retired from the corporation’s
most senior position, Executive Chairman. Prior positions with the company included Chairman,
President and CEO; President and Chief Operating Officer; and Chief Financial Officer. Stevens’ technical
knowledge combined with his exemplary leadership skills helped to make Lockheed Martin the world’s
biggest and most successful global security company. Stevens joined the Marine Corps at the age of 18
and served for six years on both active and reserve duty. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Slippery
Rock University, where he received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Stevens also earned a master’s
degree in engineering and management from the Polytechnic University of New York, and a master’s
degree in business from Columbia University. In 2010, he was awarded the Marine Corps Heritage
Foundation’s inaugural LeJeune Recognition for Exemplary Leadership, and in 2011 he received the
James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award from the National Defense Industrial Association. In 2012,
President Obama appointed Stevens to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, and
in December of that year Stevens became the 65th recipient of the National Aeronautic Association’s
Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually for “significant public service of enduring
value to aviation in the United States.” In March 2013, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor
Foundation’s highest award, the Circle of Honor Award, and the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation’s
Semper Fidelis Award. Stevens is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a Fellow of the
American Astronautical Society, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the
Royal Aeronautical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. He is Lead Director of the
Monsanto Company, and a board member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and the
Atlantic Council.
The Lone Sailor Awards Dinner will again feature a silent auction benefiting the U.S. Navy Memorial
Foundation. The auction will offer exciting packages including a week’s vacation in an Outer Banks
luxury home and a dinner package from José Andrés’ award-winning restaurants.
For more information on the U.S. Navy Memorial’s 2014 Lone Sailor Awards Dinner, including
sponsorship and ticket prices, or for a list of award recipients, visit Navy Memorial’s website at
www.navymemorial.org or contact M.C. Dunn, Director, Corporate Relations & Special Events, at 202-
380-0728 or mcdunn@navymemorial.org. To arrange an interview or to access images of the awardees,
contact Julia Hobbes at (703) 417-2709 or julia@lindarothpr.com.
About the United States Navy Memorial
The U.S. Navy Memorial is the pre-eminent Navy memorial in the country and through its ceremonies,
band concerts and other public offerings, honors and celebrates the service of Sailors, Marines, Coast
Guardsmen, and Merchant Mariners. For more information on the Navy Memorial, please visit
www.navymemorial.org or call (202) 737-2300.
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