Independent Sector has announced Gail C. Christopher, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity, and University of California, Berkeley professor john a. powell, as the recipients of its 2021 John W. Gardner Leadership Award.

Established in 1985 to honor IS founding chair John W. Gardner, the annual award recognizes an individual whose leadership in the nonprofit community has been transformative; who has mobilized people, institutions, or a cause that improves the lives of others; and who exemplifies the leadership and ideals of the award's namesake. This year marks the first time since 2010 that two people will receive the award at the same time; that year, Colin Powell and his wife, Alma, were recognized for their service at America's Promise.

Christopher has led NCHE since 2019 and is best known for her pioneering work to infuse holistic health and diversity concepts into public sector programs and policy discourse. Previously, she served as vice president for food, health, and well-being at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, where she oversaw programming in those areas and leadership and civil engagement, as well as place-based investments in Mississippi and New Orleans. She also created the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) process, a multi-sector effort to apply the globally recognized Truth and Reconciliation process to address the history of injustice in U.S. communities. TRHT built on the success of American Healing, a multiyear investment strategy Christopher created in 2008 to support research, communications, and policies fostering racial equity and healing. In 2015, she received the Terrance Keenan Award from Grantmakers in Health. She is board chair of Trust for America's Health, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a senior scholar at George Mason University's Center for the Advancement of Well-Being.

The director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, powell has written extensively on a number of issues including structural racism; racial justice; concentrated poverty; opportunity-based housing; voting rights; affirmative action in the United States, South Africa, and Brazil; racial and ethnic identity; spirituality and social justice; and the needs of citizens in a democratic society. He is the author of several books, including Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society. He also founded and directed the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota.

"The formidable challenges facing our country at this time demand the strong nonprofit leadership to help our country achieve the transformative change that is required to create a healthier and more equitable country where all people can thrive," said Independent Sector president and CEO Daniel J. Cardinali. "With their extraordinary contributions toward the vital importance of holistic health and the importance of identifying and eliminating barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society, I cannot think of two people who are more deserving of this highest recognition by the sector. We could not be more pleased to honor both Dr. Christopher and Professor powell with the 2021 John W. Gardner Leadership Award."