Media Contact:
Carlos Velazquez
Carlos Velazquez
1871 CEO, Entrepreneur Howard Tullman Named Recipient
of 2015 Public Humanities Award
CHICAGO, IL- Feb 24,
2015— The Illinois
Humanities Council (IHC) will honor Howard A. Tullman, CEO of digital startup
incubator 1871, with the 2015 Public Humanities Award at the IHC’s annual benefit luncheon on Thursday,
May 14, 2015 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. A serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, educator, writer, lecturer and art collector, Tullman has fostered a vibrant relationship between the humanities and business. Under his leadership, 1871 has become a globally renowned space for ideas, collaboration and innovation. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called 1871 “a driving force for Chicago’s tech scene, creating jobs and opportunity.”
Given annually by the IHC since
1984, the Public Humanities Award recognizes individuals and organizations that
have helped transform lives and strengthened communities through the
humanities.
“Business
is a human pursuit, with creativity, innovation and collaboration serving as
tenets for success. Howard has highlighted these principles in the operations
of 1871, with initiatives that engage political leaders, veterans, women,
youth, and people of color,” said Angel Ysaguirre,
IHC executive director. “We are delighted to honor Howard, who models the way
the humanities can strengthen all aspects of life, including business.”
Throughout
his career, Tullman has encouraged art as a vantage point for expression and
digital innovation. He is a co-founder and former Chairman and CEO of Tribeca
Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, a premier digital media arts college in Chicago.
He also served as president of Kendall College in Chicago, where he transformed
the seventy-year-old college into a major national leader in the culinary and
hospitality education market.
He continues
to serve on the City of Chicago’s ChicagoNEXT and Cultural
Advisory Councils, as well as on the Illinois Arts Council.
Tullman is Chairman of the Endowment Committee of Anshe Emet Synagogue in
Chicago. He has served as a Trustee of WTTW in Chicago, the Museum of
Contemporary Art Chicago, the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at
Northwestern University and the New York Academy of Art. He was also lead
Director (and briefly Chairman) of The Princeton Review. Tullman was appointed
by President Bill Clinton to the President's
Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and is an
active art collector, lender and donor to museums throughout Illinois and the
Midwest.
He lectures
regularly on venturing, change management, and entrepreneurship as Adjunct
Professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston
and at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. He is the author of The Perspiration Principles and writes a weekly blog for INC. Magazine.
“Howard is a cultural phenomenon,” said Joel
Henning, IHC Board Member and one of this year’s co-chairs. “I’m delighted to help honor a man who has done more
than anyone here to nurture high-tech creativity and entrepreneurialism and
also stimulate cutting edge contemporary art, all of which has vastly enhanced
the economics and culture of Illinois and indeed the entire country.”
In addition
to Joel Henning, this
year’s co-chairs are Richard Price, chairman and CEO of Mesirow Financial
and Murray Peretz, founding principal of Spectrum Real Estate Properties. .
The Public Humanities Award
Luncheon will take place Thursday,
May 14, 2015 at the Palmer House Hilton Chicago (17 E. Monroe Street) in
Chicago, Illinois. Doors open at 11:00am with the program beginning at 12:00pm.
For individual reservations and sponsorship opportunities, including the
purchase of tables, please call Liesl Pereira at 312.422.5584 or visit www.prairie.org/PHA. All
proceeds from the luncheon will support the programs of the Illinois Humanities
Council.
Past PHA awardees have included
Lisa Lee, director of the School of Art and Art History at UIC; the Honorable
Abner and Zoe Mikva; publisher Bruce Sagan and artist Bette Cerf Hill; Carlos
Tortolero, founder of the National Museum of Mexican Art; Anne Roosevelt,
Boeing Vice President and John A. Wing, Chairman Emeritus of the Chicago
Corporation. Last year’s recipients were Chicago Dancing
Festival co-founder Jay Franke and businessman David Herro.
About the Illinois
Humanities Council
The Illinois Humanities Council
is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the
Humanities, with a mission to strengthen society by fueling inquiry and
conversation about the ideas and works that shape our culture. The IHC engages
communities across Illinois in conversation in a variety of humanities programs
that focus on Public Policy, Media & Journalism, Business and Art. The IHC
lowers barriers to participation and offers access to programs, events, and
grants to all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural
background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and
private funds.