Senator John W. Warner Public Leadership Award

The first annual Senator John W. Warner Award will be given to a Third Year undergraduate student who exhibits a serious, convincing ambition to seek future election to public office. This award will honor an individual who strives for service in an elected office, whether it is a part-time city council position or a full-time legislative or executive office. Successful candidates will demonstrate the required courage to stand up and ask fellow citizens for their valued vote.

This distinction includes a stipend to help support the recipient’s education and their interest in public life. Candidates will be asked to submit a packet that includes a reflective statement and a letter of support from someone familiar with the candidate’s qualifications.

The award is named for Senator John W. Warner of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Senator Warner, a 1953 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, is currently serving his fifth consecutive term in the United States Senate. In 2005, Senator Warner became the second-longest serving U.S. Senator from Virginia in the 218-year history of the Senate.

This year, the award has two recipients:

Sarah Buckley is a Third Year Political Philosophy, Policy and Law major. She is the President of the University Democrats and a member of the Student Council Environmental Sustainability Committee. She has been a campaign volunteer for Tim Kaine, Creigh Deeds, Jim Webb, and John Edwards. For the past two summers, she has worked at the law firm of Buck, Toscano, and Tereskerz.

Grayson Lambert is a Third Year Government & Foreign Affairs major. He is the Vice Chair for Trials of the University Judiciary Committee and a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. He has interned for South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, and Virginia Delegate Rob Bell. He is the recipient of a Harrison Undergraduate Research Grant studying the Tenth Amendment.

Questions? Contact John Teahan at jwt5z@virginia.edu or 982-0119