December 11, 2017
AN EVENING CELEBRATES EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO FIELD OF NATIONAL SECURITY
On November 29, the Intelligence Community (IC), business leaders, members of Congress, ambassadors, and philanthropists gathered for the Honorable William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award Dinner, the International Spy Museum’s inaugural gala. Emceed by CNN’s Lead Political Anchor and Anchor of “The Situation Room” Wolf Blitzer, the evening highlighted the men and women who serve in the field of National Security every day.
Judge Webster, the namesake of the award and the only individual to serve as director of Central Intelligence and of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, gave the first Webster Award to his mentor, former President George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States of America and former Director of Central Intelligence (DCI). Current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats were among the esteemed speakers.
“I’m honored that you would wish to name this annual award for me,” said Judge Webster. “I, like many in this room, strongly believe that the stories and extraordinary tradecraft, when they can be revealed, should be shared with the public and also our leaders in government. It’s important so that they will well understand and appreciate the incredible dedication, sacrifices, and often personal dangers the men and women of our US Intelligence Community and those of our partner countries face daily to keep us safe.”
“Celebrating Judge William Webster and his illustrious career is only the beginning of what we hope to achieve with this event,” said Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest. “Through the Webster Dinner, the International Spy Museum has the unique opportunity to shine a light on extraordinary achievements in the field of National Security, nationally and internationally, and to educate the public about intelligence in a new, engaging way.”
There were more than 600 people in attendance at The Ritz-Carlton, including The Honorable & Mrs. William H. Webster, Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch, Ambassador Tim Groser, Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae, Ambassador László Szabó, Congressman William Ballard Hurd, Director of National Security Agency Admiral Michael Rogers, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon, Deputy Director at US Cyber Command LtGen Vincent R. Stewart, The Honorable Stuart Bernstein, Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Advisory Council William J. Bratton, former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, former Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan, former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, former Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John McLaughlin, former Acting Director of Central Intelligence Richard Kerr, former Deputy Director of Defense Intelligence Agency Doug Wise, former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency David Cohen, former National Security Advisor General Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor Steven Hadley, among others.
Also present were Spy Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest and President and COO Tamara Christian, Museum Founders Milton and Tamar Maltz, and Board of Directors Governor James Blanchard, General Michael V. Hayden, Mary Kraft, Thomas Melcher, Keith Melton, and Jill Singer. Members of the Spy Museum Advisory Board also joined, including Alison Pentz Bouwmeester, Rollie Flynn, Dave Major, Keith Melton, Tony and Jonna Mendez, Malcolm Nance, Robert Wallace, and Kristin Wood.
Former Director of the National Security Agency and of the Central Intelligence Agency General Michael V. Hayden and Founder of In-Q-Tel Gilman Louie co-chaired the event. Governor James and Mrs. Janet Blanchard were co-chairs of the Host Committee. Chair of the Finance Committee was Jill Singer, Vice President, National Security, AT&T Global Public Sector.
FedData/Dell EMC sponsored the cocktail reception, Peraton sponsored the VIP reception, and AT&T sponsored the dessert reception. Handler sponsors include Wesley & Natalie Bush, LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, Milbank, Brent Scowcroft, and Somerset Investment Company.
Funds raised at the Webster Dinner support artifact preservation, educational programming, research, exhibits, and accessibility programs for underserved communities. For information about ways to support the International Spy Museum or future sponsorship opportunities, please contact Vice President of Development & Membership Rebecca Diamond at 202.654.0954 or rdiamond@spymuseum.org.
For additional photos from the event or general inquiries about the Museum, please contact Aliza Bran at 202.654.0946 or abran@spymuseum.org.