The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship presented its 2019 Distinguished Christian Statesman Award to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Monday during a dinner celebration at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C.
“Secretary DeVos, you embody what the Distinguished Christian Statesman award represents,” said Dr. Linda W. Smith, President of the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship, in her opening remarks. “You live out your Christian faith each day in your service to this nation, standing with great courage for truth and righteousness in government, knowing that God is sovereign and what matters is making our lives count for Him. You stand as a shining example of a Christian statesman to which other Christian’s in public service should aspire to attain. Thank you.”
Adding to that Dr. Frank Wright, President and CEO of D. James Kennedy Ministries, said DeVos “is a stellar example of Christian statesmanship, with her public service inspired by her deep Christian commitment and her quiet confidence in the providence of God.”
“Secretary DeVos loves her Lord and Savior, her dear family, and she loves America,” he continued. “As recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Christian Statesman Award, she joins an illustrious gallery of women and men fully devoted to Christ and fully devoted to serving our great nation.”
In receiving the award, DeVos said she was “truly humbled by this honor.”
She also thanked those in attendance for their encouragement.
“You don’t know how much it means to hear from people, quietly, in different places that I go that ‘we’re praying for you’ and ‘there are others praying for you,’” she shared. “It means so much to me. And in this place where it’s difficult to be sometimes, I can’t tell you how powerful that is.”
DeVos serves as the 11th U.S. Secretary of Education. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 7, 2017, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump.
DeVos has been involved in education policy for nearly three decades as an advocate for children and a voice for parents. She is especially passionate about reforms that help underserved children gain access to a quality education. A leader in the movement to empower parents, DeVos has worked to support the creation of new educational choices for students in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
In 1996, the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship inaugurated its Distinguished Christian Statesman Award to recognize those whose commitment to Christ and love for country compels them to stand for truth and righteousness in government.
Since then, the Center for Christian Statesmanship annually has recognized one outstanding public leader as a Distinguished Christian Statesman. The recipient serves as the benchmark to which other public servants should strive to attain.
Past recipients of the award include Senator John Ashcroft (1996), Senator Sam Brownback (2000), Representative J.C. Watts (2001), Representative Randy Forbes (2009), Representative Joseph R. Pitts (2012), Governor Mike Huckabee (2013), Senator John Boozman (2014), Senator James Lankford (2015), Governor Matt Bevin (2016), Representative Mark Meadows (2017), and Senator James Inhofe (2018). Vice President Mike Pence was the recipient of the award in 2008 while serving as a member of the U. S. House of Representatives.
PHOTO ABOVE: (left to right) Dr. Linda Smith, The Honorable Betsy DeVos, Dr. Frank Wright, Jennifer Kennedy-Cassidy. Photograph courtesy of D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship.
