Tom Ridge receives award from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge accepted the 2022 William Oliver Baker Award from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

The dinner and ceremony took place on Saturday evening at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. He spoke for around 20 minutes in what was his first public event in the city since his stroke nearly a year ago.

Established in 1984, the Baker Award recognizes extraordinary contributions to U.S. intelligence and national security affairs, a press release said. Ridge previously served as an Army non-commissioned officer in Vietnam, as a congressman and as a twice-elected governor of Pennsylvania. He concluded decades of exemplary public service as the first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005.

“Throughout his acclaimed career, Tom Ridge’s commitment to bipartisanship, deep love of country and selfless service served as an inspiration to others,” Tish Long, chair, INSA board of directors, said in a release when the presentation was announced. “The foundational approach he established [as head of Homeland Security] prioritized critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and recognized that information sharing between the private sector and government entities at all levels was necessary to reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism and natural disaster.”

Said Ridge in a press release in response to the honor: “Dr. Baker is a legendary figure whose contributions to our nation are innumerable, so to receive this award with his name attached is an incredible honor. I cannot help but to think of the thousands of dedicated men and women within DHS and across government who came together at the most challenging of times to protect our country. I humbly accept this award on behalf of these patriots who served — and continue to serve today — with distinction.”

This is one of a number of accolades that Ridge has received, including the Woodrow Wilson Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ Dwight D. Eisenhower Award, the John F. Kennedy National Award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He currently serves as chairman of the National Organization on Disability, as co-chairman of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense and as a member of the board of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.