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Paul Volcker, WITNESS, and Mitchell Silber are 2011 Global Leaders
At its eleventh annual Global Leadership Awards Dinner on April 14, SIPA honored a trio of guardians of the public interest: former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, international human rights organization WITNESS, and SIPA alumnus Mitchell Silber, director of intelligence analysis for the New York Police Department.
Presented annually, SIPA’s Global Leadership Awards honor individuals and organizations that, through work in public policy and administration, have made innovative or otherwise extraordinary contributions to the global public good. Honorees exemplify the values and qualities that SIPA seeks in our faculty and staff and strives to instill in our students, who enroll at SIPA in their desire to serve the public interest.
“Each year, SIPA’s Global Leadership awardees encourage and inspire our students as they confront a world full of problems to be solved,” said Dean John H. Coatsworth. “SIPA is thrilled to honor these extraordinary public servants and not-for-profit organization that have made unique and lasting contributions to protecting the international economy, our own security, and human rights everywhere.”
Paul A. Volcker chaired the Federal Reserve under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and is widely credited with ending high levels of inflation in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. 
In 2004, Mr. Volcker chaired the United Nations’ independent inquiry into the Oil-for-Food Program, resulting in the identification and correction of corruption and malfeasance. Most recently, he advised President Barack Obama on Wall Street reforms as chair of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board from 2009 until earlier this year.
Mr. Volker was introduced by Ambassador Richard Gardner (center), Professor of Law and International Organization at Columbia University. Hear or download their remarks here. 
Mitchell D. Silber directs the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism intelligence analysis unit. Launched in 2002 after the September 11 attacks, Mr. Silber’s team comprises civilian experts who help NYPD officers and detectives understand and uncover terrorist networks. Previously, Mr. Silber served on the staff of the Deputy and Assistant Commissioners of Intelligence, where he was responsible for strategic threat assessments and for nurturing relationships with foreign police and intelligence agencies. Mr. Silber received the Master of International Affairs from SIPA in 2005 with a concentration in International Security Policy.
Mr. Silber was introduced by New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Hear or download their remarks here.
WITNESS, the global human rights organization, is being honored for its leadership in the field of video advocacy as a tool for placing visual evidence, powerful stories and ways to act in front of decision-makers who can make a difference. Co-founded in 1992 by musician Peter Gabriel, WITNESS has worked with hundreds of partner organizations and thousands of human rights activists in over 80 countries around the world. Videos produced through these collaborations have shed light on the systemic repression of ethnic minorities in Burma, aided the prosecution of recruiters of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and rallied support for the first law protecting the elderly from abuse in the United States.
Executive director Yvette J. Alberdingk Thijm accepted the award on behalf of WITNESS. Hear or download her remarks here.
WITNESS co-founder Peter Gabriel accepted via video.
Chuck Todd, Chief White House Correspondent and political director for NBC News, served as Master of Ceremonies. He also serves as on-air political analyst for “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Today,” “Meet the Press,” and MSNBC. Following the awards presentations, Mr. Volcker took questions from Mr. Todd on the state of the U.S. economy and the housing market.
Two of SIPA’s remarkable students also spoke at the event. Gohar Sedighi (MPA ’11) is specializing in Urban Policy and Management at SIPA. She told the remarkable story of her childhood escape from Iran in the arms of her mother. Read Gohar's remarks here.
Joseph Katz (MPA in Environmental Science and Policy ’11) is a Major in the U.S. Army and served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Read Joseph's remarks here.
One of the foremost global public policy schools, SIPA draws its strengths from the resources of New York City and Columbia University; from a student body that hails from over 100 countries; from 17,000 graduates around the world; and from educational partners in Beijing, Berlin, London, Mexico City, Paris, São Paulo, Singapore, and Tokyo. SIPA’s annual Global Leadership Awards provides critical fellowship support to nearly 1,400 students.
View a photo album from the Global Leadership Awards dinner. 
Alex Burnett, updated April 21, 2011