Navigator Awards

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies hosts the Navigator Awards, a dinner gala that recognizes extraordinary individuals from the Legislative Branch, The Executive Branch, and the Private Sector for recent or lifetime contributions to national science and technology policy.

The Institute believes that honoring these leaders for their accomplishments promotes a continued understanding of science and technology and its growing impact on government and society. Navigation, one of man’s enduring technical challenges, is equally challenging in policy. The Navigator Award is named to reflect our understanding that national leadership in science and technology policy is a never-ending process of finding the way ahead.

2012 Navigator Awards Dinner

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies was pleased to host the 11th Navigator Awards Dinner on June 21, 2012, recognizing the achievements of The Honorable James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence; Congressman Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and Mr. Abe Karem, Founder and President of Karem Aircraft. Click below to watch video of the event.

2012 Navigator Awards

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies was pleased to present the 2012 Navigator Awards on June 21, 2012, at a dinner and ceremony at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, DC. This year's event was attended by nearly 300 science and technology policy leaders, and awards were given to outstanding achievers in S&T policy within the intelligence community: The Honorable James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence; Congressman Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and Abe Karem, pioneer in unmanned aviation technology and Founder and President of Karem Aircraft. Click below to watch a video honoring the winners.

Abe Karem, Aeronautics Innovator, Is Navigator Award Winner

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that Mr. Abe Karem, founder of Karem Aircraft and a pioneer in the field of aeronautics, has been named a recipient of a 2012 Navigator Award. Mr. Karem and fellow awardees will be honored at a banquet at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Thursday, June 21. This will be the 11th Navigator Awards event.

Regarding the selection of Mr. Karem for a Navigator Award, former Director of Central Intelligence James Woolsey said, “Abe Karem is an extraordinarily inventive man and one of the most remarkable aeronautical engineers of the 20th century. His successes most famously include the Predator and its predecessor UAVs, Amber, and Gnat 750. He is a pioneer in his field and he is most deserving of this prestigious award.”

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Is Navigator Award Winner

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that the Director of National Intelligence, The Honorable James R. Clapper, has been named a recipient of a 2012 Navigator Award. Mr. Clapper and fellow awardees will be honored at a banquet at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Thursday, June 21. This will be the 11th Navigator Awards event.

Regarding the selection of Mr. Clapper for a Navigator Award, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Chairman and CEO Michael Swetnam said, "DNI Clapper has dedicated his life to the service of his country. His dedication, experience, and leadership are needed at this critical time in our country's history, more than ever." See the announcement on the DNI's Facebook page, here.

Mr. Clapper was sworn in as the fourth Director of National Intelligence on August 9, 2010. As DNI, Mr. Clapper leads the United States Intelligence Community and serves as the principal intelligence advisor to the President.

Rep. Mike Rogers, Chairman of House Intelligence Committee, Is Navigator Award Winner

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that US Rep. Mike Rogers (MI-08) has been named a recipient of a 2012 Navigator Award. Rep. Rogers and fellow awardees will be honored at a banquet at the Willard InterContinental Hotel on Thursday, June 21. This will be the 11th Navigator Awards event.

Regarding the selection of Rep. Rogers for a Navigator Award, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Chairman and CEO Michael Swetnam said, "Congressman Mike Rogers is a true leader. As Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he has been committed to reaching across the aisle and bridging political differences to ensure that the interests of our national security come first. His ability to rise above partisan politics and his dedication to service are in the finest tradition of our Navigator Award winners, and we are privileged to honor him this year." See the announcement on Rep. Rogers' Facebook page, here.

Navigator Awards Set for June 21, 2012

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that the 11th Navigator Awards will be held on June 21 at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC. The Navigator Awards recognize leading contributors to science and technology policy. Recipients of awards at the Navigator banquet in 2010 were Arden L. Bement, Jr., PhD, former Director of the National Science Foundation; Jeffrey Wadsworth, PhD, President and CEO of the Battelle Memorial Foundation; Elon Musk, CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors; and Gerald Edelman, MD, PhD, Director of The Neurosciences Institute, President of Neurosciences Research Foundation, and a Nobel laureate (1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Watch our website for announcements of this year's winners!

S&T Leaders Receive Navigator Awards Oct. 21, 2010

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that four of the nation's leading innovators in the area of science and technology received Navigator Awards at a banquet at the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC, October 21. The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' Navigator Awards are traditionally presented to members of Congress and to representatives of the executive branch, industry and academia in recognition of their distinguished contributions in the arena of science and technology. The Navigator Award is named as a tribute to those leaders in science and technology who act as pathfinders in the pursuit of knowledge.

This year's awardees are: Arden L. Bement, Jr., PhD, former Director of the National Science Foundation; Jeffrey Wadsworth, PhD, President and CEO of the Battelle Memorial Foundation; Elon Musk, CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors; and Gerald Edelman, MD, PhD, Director of The Neurosciences Institute, President of Neurosciences Research Foundation, and a Nobel laureate (1972 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). See below for bios and photos of this year's winners.

2008 Navigator Awards

The Ninth Annual Navigator Awards were held on July 23, 2008 at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

2008 Navigator Honorees:

Legislative Branch: The Honorable John D. Rockefeller IV, United States Senator, West Virginia

Executive Branch: The Honorable J. Michael McConnell, Director, National Intelligence

Executive Branch: The Honorable William Jeffrey, Ph.D., Former Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Academic President’s Award: Professor Yonah Alexander, Ph.D., Director, International Center for Terrorism Studies and Senior Fellow

CEO’s Award: Michael Lowe, Director, Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO)

2007 Navigator Awards

The Eighth Annual Navigator Awards were held June 27, 2007 at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The 2007 Navigator Honorees were:

Executive Branch: The Honorable John Young, Jr., Director, Defense Research and Engineering

Executive Branch: The Honorable Jay M. Cohen, Under Secretary, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Legislative Branch: The Honorable Jim Moran, United States Congressman, Virginia