Yale Honors Pelosi and Pence for Choosing the Constitution Over Party

WASHINGTON — Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi received Yale University’s inaugural Yale Patriot Public Service Award for Executive Leadership during a gathering of political leaders and chief executives in the nation’s capital. The new national honor recognizes high-level public service, with Pelosi cited for “Legislative Leadership” and Pence for “Executive Leadership.”

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice and Senior Associate Dean at the Yale School of Management, established the award as preparations continue for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was designed to recognize figures from both major political parties who placed constitutional duty and democratic institutions above partisan interests.

The awards were presented during the semiannual Yale CEO Caucus, a closed-door summit hosted by Sonnenfeld that brings together corporate leaders, economists, and public officials. Participants waived the session’s off-the-record rules for the presentation. The broader agenda included macroeconomic volatility and national security issues, including the conflict in Iran, upcoming U.S.-China diplomatic meetings, and labor market disruptions driven by rapid developments in artificial intelligence.

Pence, a Republican, was the 48th Vice President of the United States from 2017 to 2021, after serving four years as Governor of Indiana and six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. His award primarily recognized his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when, as President of the Senate under the 12th Amendment, he presided over the joint session of Congress certifying the 2020 presidential election’s Electoral College results.

Former Democratic House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt presented the award to Pence. Gephardt represented Missouri in Congress for 28 years and led House Democrats from 1989 to 2003. He commended Pence for rejecting demands from President Donald Trump and party allies to unilaterally delay or reject electoral slates during the certification.

“Mike Pence is a patriot,” Gephardt told the attendees. “He has good character. He did the right thing. He stood for the Constitution, he stood for the laws of this country, and he saved this democracy.”

Pelosi, a Democrat representing San Francisco, became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House when elected in 2007. She held the position from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, during nearly four decades in Congress. Among the major domestic policy measures she shepherded through the House were the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Carla Anderson Hills presented Pelosi’s award. Hills served as U.S. Trade Representative under President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Gerald Ford. “In these highly partisan days, Nancy Pelosi has really been a model for outstanding government leadership,” Hills said. “She takes principled positions. Policy over politics. And policy over her own needs for reelection.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who served as Chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018, offered a pre-recorded tribute to Pelosi’s legislative execution and governance. Yellen praised Pelosi’s “remarkable ability to look at seemingly impossible political situations, figure out what can actually be done, and then somehow get it done,” adding that her political skill remains “grounded in a very clear sense of purpose and a strong moral compass.” Pelosi is currently completing her final term in the House as Speaker Emerita after stepping down from Democratic leadership following the 2022 midterm elections.

The ceremony attracted former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Chief Executive Group CEO Marshall Cooper, USA Networks founder Kay Koplovitz, and American Industrial Acquisition Chairman Leonard Levie. Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said manufacturers are “wrestling with enormous uncertainty, much of which has been brought about by populism and extreme partisanship.” He called the joint recognition a “vivid reminder that our nation is at its best when our leaders work together to advance America’s highest ideals.”

Robert Hormats, who served as Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs from 2009 to 2013 and held senior economic roles across five presidential administrations, called Pence and Pelosi “heroes who saved our democracy that day.” Fortune Editor Diane Brady reported standing ovations for both leaders, writing that “what unites them isn’t their politics but their commitment to the Constitution, public service, integrity and something bigger than themselves.”

Pelosi and Pence sat together during the event, conversed before the presentation, and shared a 20-second embrace on stage before receiving their awards. Sonnenfeld called the interaction a historic moment between long-standing political rivals and said he hoped it would offer a model for corporate leaders navigating political polarization. Pence later acknowledged the award in a public statement on X.

The collegial display contrasted with an earlier encounter during the February 2020 State of the Union address. Pelosi sat beside then-Vice President Pence on the House rostrum and ripped up her copy of President Trump’s speech at the conclusion of his remarks.