Gerald P. McCarthy Award
For Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution
Award Criteria
The Gerald P. McCarthy Award for leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution is presented annually to an individual, organization, local government, agency, educational institution or community that fosters collaboration and has taken a leadership role in preserving and protecting Virginia’s environment.
The honored individual or organization:
- Is an outstanding leader in the effort to protect Virginia’s environment.
- Supports capacity building for collaborative problem-solving in the Commonwealth through actions, contributions, and/or educational programs.
- Stands as a role model to other groups and individuals for the potential for bringing stakeholders together to resolve environmental issues in Virginia’s communities, organizations and agencies
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Honored Recipients
2005: Paul A. Rakowski Named Recipient of Second Annual Award
2004: Environmental Leadership Award Named for First Recipient
Award Committee
The 2006 McCarthy Award Committee is composed of the Faculty and select Alumni of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute. The Committee includes representatives of state and federal agencies, local government, communities, small businesses, private corporations and academic institutions in Virginia.
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Nomination Process
To submit a nomination, complete the nomination form detailing the nominated individual or organization’s qualifications based on the three criteria above and, if applicable, a description of any documented or tangible results of the nominee’s work in Virginia.
Please feel free to attach additional supporting materials, especially those available in electronic form. Letters of support from others familiar with the nominated individual or organization are encouraged, but please limit to no more than 2 letters of support.
Submit the nomination package (the completed form and any supporting materials) electronically to cwilk@virginia.edu by March 17, 2006 for consideration by the Award Committee.
The Committee will notify the recipient by April 21, 2006. The Award will be presented at the 2006 Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute’s Graduation on June 1, 2006 in Charlottesville.
Click here to view or download a copy of the 2006 Nomination Form
(Please note that some versions of Acrobat are not compatible with saving the above form!) Click here for a copy of the form in Word format
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Honored Recipients
Environmental Leadership Award Named For First Recipient
Bringing concerned parties together to talk about environmental issues is a common practice today, but it has not always been the norm.
Gerald McCarthy, executive director of the Virginia Environmental Endowment was recognized for his leadership in fostering mediation and protecting Virginia's environment (the picture to the left shows Mr. McCarthy receiving the award from IEN Director Frank Dukes, November 2004.
In honor of McCarthy’s contributions, the University of Virginia’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation has established the Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution. The award, which will be given annually, will recognize an outstanding leader in the effort to protect Virginia’s environment.
The inaugural award was presented to McCarthy at IEN’s 25th anniversary symposium Nov. 19. He was recognized for his varied contributions to Virginia’s environment, including bringing environmental mediation to Virginia and his role in awarding funding for the creation and continued support of IEN. Other groundbreaking work that McCarthy and the endowment have been involved in over the years includes launching the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Virginia Office, establishing the Nature Conservancy’s Eastern Shore Office and programs, starting the Izaak Walton League’s Save our Streams program in Virginia, getting the state’s Office of Environmental Education started, and most recently, starting the multispecies, ecosystem based Chesapeake Bay fisheries program at the Virginia Institute of marine Science. It its 27-year history the VEE has made grants totaling almost $23 million to accomplish a variety of programs to conserve natural resources, protect the environment and promote environmental literacy.
“Jerry started the practice of environmental conflict resolution in Virginia,” said Frank Dukes, IEN director, “Through the years he has been active in bringing people together to teach them about the importance of conflict resolution. McCarthy’s leadership has helped to institutionalize bringing stakeholders together to resolve environmental differences in Virginia’s communities, organizations and agencies.” McCarthy said it was a “surprise and honor coming from such a prestigious institution as the University of Virginia — its School of Architecture and Institute for Environmental Negotiation” — to have the award named in recognition of his lifelong commitment to support Virginia’s environment. McCarthy’s experience includes more than three decades of work, first in the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Quality under governors A. Linwood Holton and Mills E. Godwin Jr., followed by a role as the first and only executive director of VEE. He said he is proud that in Virginia “we have proven you can get more accomplished with getting people together to talk about issues.”
The award will be given annually to an individual, organization, local government, agency, educational institution or community that fosters collaboration and has taken a leadership role in preserving and protecting Virginia’s environment.
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Paul A. Rakowski Named Recipient
Second Annual Award
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Gerald McCarthy presents the second annual
award to Paul A. Rakowski (L to R: Mike Ellerbrock, Gerald McCarthy, Paul Rakowski, Julie Rakowski) |
Paul A. Rakowski, installation restoration program manager for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Norfolk, is the 2005 recipient of the Gerald P. McCarthy Award for Leadership in Environmental Conflict Resolution from U.Va.’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation. The award was presented on behalf of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute, a partnership program between the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Virginia Tech Center for Economic Education and the U.Va. Institute for Environmental Negotiation.
Rakowski was recognized for his leadership in creating partnerships between the Navy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. These collaborations helped to bring about successful programs in order to restore the environment at Navy and Marine Corps installations in Virginia. Upon receiving the award at the graduation dinner for the 2005 class of the Virginia Natural Resources Leadership Institute on June 2, Rakowski stressed the collaborative efforts needed to bring about restoration. He said that he felt he was accepting the award on behalf of the U.S. Navy team and its partner organizations.
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Contact Information
For more information about the Award and the nomination process, contact Caroline Wilkinson at 434-924-6569 or cwilk@virginia.edu
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