Mary Barra, Lester Holt, Jon Iwata headline annual evening of integrity

By Cerrena Lewis, Page Center intern

The 2023 Larry Foster Award honorees may represent leadership roles in different areas of public communication, but their appearance at the annual Page Center Awards displayed their shared value of integrity in all that they do.

This year’s honorees were Mary Barra, chair and CEO of General Motors; Lester Holt, anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” and anchor of “Dateline NBC;” and Jon Iwata, former senior vice president and chief brand officer at IBM. Four hundred and fifty people registered for the Feb. 22 virtual event. Each honoree received a Larry Foster Award for Integrity in Public Communication.

Click here to watch the entire 2023 Page Center Awards.

The three honorees join 19 past recipients in a group of remarkable leaders representing business, journalism, public relations, and other areas. Hosts Bill Nielsen, Page Center advisory board chair, and Marie Hardin, dean of Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications, opened the night with an overview of the Center and the purpose of the awards.

“Not only are Mary, Lester and Jon shining examples of integrity, they are steady voices who lead by example and impact the world with well-deserved authority,” said Nielsen.

First to be honored was Iwata. Board member Aedhmar Hynes, who is board director of IP Group Plc and Jackson Family Wines, led the conversation. The two discussed the role of integrity in communication amidst quickly evolving AI programs.

“I believe integrity in every form of public communication, media, business, and education and public discourse is needed now more than ever,” said Iwata, who is also the founding executive director of the Data & Trust Alliance. “It has never been more at risk.”

Barra participated in a fascinating conversation with board member Roger Bolton, president of Page. They discussed things like advice for young professionals, the importance of safety vehicles and the need to always be truthful.

“I tell the entire team your integrity is everything,” Barra said. “It takes years to build it, and it can crumble in a moment, and once it has gone it is almost impossible to get it back.”

The evening’s final honoree was Lester Holt. Nielsen led the conversation with Holt who shared his thoughts on the importance of uplifting marginalized voices and recognizing the importance of honest, truthful communication.

Holt said that “NBC Nightly News” has been successful because its leaders and journalists acknowledge the “importance of listening to people.”

“Nightly News has been a program where for over 70 years we have kept the tradition of integrity and honesty,” Holt said.

Thanks to the support of sponsors, the event was free and open to the public. The Page Center is especially appreciative of its Platinum Sponsor, Johnson & Johnson.

This was the seventh installment of the annual event. Past honorees include Dr. Anthony Fauci, Christiane Amanpour, Ginger Hardage, Ken Chenault and 18 others. Learn more about past events and honorees on the awards page.

The namesake of the award, Larry Foster, founded the Page Center in 2004. The annual program was created to honor communicators who share in Foster’s vision. Funds raised from the event support innovative research and educational programs by the Page Center.