November 26, 2024
Freedom Center board member Pete Strange celebrated for spirit of volunteerism
Strange receives GCF Jacob E. Davis Leadership Award, donates award to Freedom Center's cultural competency training program
CINCINNATI – Longtime National Underground Railroad Freedom Center board member and prolific community advocate Pete Strange was recognized with the Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award last week. Upon receiving the award, Strange recommitted himself and called others to challenge implicit bias and champion cultural competency, donating his award to the Freedom Center.
Strange spent five decades with Messer Construction, including 22 years as CEO, before retiring in 2012. He continues to serve as chairman emeritus with Messer and is engaged in several nonprofit boards. The Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award is presented annually to honor volunteers who stand out because of their leadership, vision, creativity and generosity of spirit. In his acceptance speech, Strange shared his perspective on the importance of volunteerism.
“Joining with committed people, from diverse backgrounds, to help drive change is the shortest path to personal growth and positive progress,” Strange said.
The Freedom Center is among the 40 nonprofit boards Strange has served on, and, in a current climate of increasing division and intolerance, one of the most important. Recognizing the need for inclusion, empathy and equity, Strange donated the gift accompanying his Jacob E. Davis Volunteer Leadership Award to the Freedom Center to support the institution’s world-class program addressing implicit bias and cultural competency.
“The real competition is for the next generation of talent. To win the real competition young leaders have to learn that bias is not about good people versus bad people; bias is about all people,” Strange said in his acceptance speech. “To win the real competition, cultural competency – being disciplined and aware enough to recognize and control our biases – has to become a required part of leadership growth.”
Reflecting on Strange’s leadership and generosity, Woodrow Keown, Jr., president and COO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, said, “Pete’s commitment to community and his advocacy for equity are commendable and should rightly be celebrated. We are grateful at the Freedom Center and as a community for Pete’s leadership for this and the next generation.”
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About the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.
