The Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative honored Maurice Tempelsman with its Leadership Award at a dinner at the Knickerbocker Club in New York on January 15th. The HAI Leadership Award is presented to individuals who have displayed outstanding vision, leadership, and courage in the worldwide struggle against AIDS.
Mr. Tempelsman serves as Chairman of HAI’s International Advisory Council. He has been instrumental in helping HAI establish research collaborations in Africa. Such programs train students and researchers and help build capacity in developing countries.
Mr. Tempelsman is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lazare Kaplan International and a senior partner in the firm of Leon Tempelsman & Son. He served as the Chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa from 1992-2002 and continues as Chairman Emeritus. He is past Chairman of the Africa-America Institute. He has served on several Presidential Commissions, including the President’s Commission for the Observance of Human Rights.
In presenting Mr. Tempelsman with the award, Dr. Max Essex, Chair of HAI, said, “He is more than a Renaissance man. When it comes to AIDS in Africa, he is also an action figure. Others not only listen to his advice, they follow it. For numerous people in Africa and around the world, this has resulted in the saving of many lives and the prevention of much suffering and anguish. For this we are deeply grateful.”
Previous recipients of HAI’s Leadership Award include Arthur Ashe, President Festus Mogae of Botswana, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Diana, Princess of Wales, Richard Gere, and Deeda Blair.
