The Claiborne Pell Award

The Claiborne Pell Award is established to recognize those rare individuals whose pioneering leadership and vision have made an indelible mark on the struggle for equal educational opportunity. It was Pell's leadership and vision that led to the creation of the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG). Now called the Pell Grant, the BEOG was designed to be the backbone of the federal government's financial aid program. Pell recognized that the future of the country was dependent on an investment in the development of low income students.

The Pell Award is given to individuals whose work the President and the Board of Directors believe is breaking new ground in the effort to provide greater educational opportunity to people from low income backgrounds. The Board considers the following criteria:

  • Vision - conceiving innovative future solutions to problems.

  • Leadership - is able to bring together a broad based coalition to implement solutions

  • Broad Impact - large numbers of students are effected by the individual's work; institutions are also impacted.

Nominations for the Pell Award will be made by members of the Board of Directors. Awards will be given only in those years where the Board is able to identify an appropriate recipient.

Recipients include:

  • Senator Claiborne Pell

  • 1990 - Domenico Petruceli

  • 1991 - Cong. Silvo Conte

  • 1992 - Cong. William Ford

  • 1993 - Dr. Arnold Mitchem

  • 1994 -

  • 1995 -

  • 1996 -

  • 1997 - Brenda Dann Messier

  • 1998 - Ann Coles

  • 1999 - Maureen Hoyler

  • 2000 - Dr. Robert Belle

  • 2001 -

  • 2002 - Christopher Dodd

  • 2003 - Paul Spraggins

  • 2004 - Sen. Edward Kennedy

  • 2005 - Sen. Susan Collins

  • 2006 - Sen. James Jeffords

  • 2007 -

  • 2008 - Sargent Shriver

  • 2009 -

  • 2010 - Dr. Charles Desmond

  • 2011 - Julia Tower

  • 2012 - Sen. Bernie Sanders

  • 2013 - Stan Salett

  • 2014 -

  • 2015 -

  • 2016 - Dr. Joan Becker

  • 2017 - Cong. Tom Cole

  • 2018 -

  • 2019 - David Megquier

  • 2020 - Dr. Maria D. Martinez

  • 2021 - Dr. Miguel Cardona

  • 2022 - Sen. Patrick Leahy

  • 2023 -

  • 2024 - Dr. Jerry Lewis

  • 2025 - James T. Brett

Shirley Chisholm Award

The Shirley Chisholm Award was founded in 1983 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and active support for the clients served by TRIO Programs. Former Congresswoman Chisholm was a strong and active national advocate for TRIO programs during her tenure in the House of Representatives. This award has enabled our association to recognize the contributions and support of individuals outside the TRIO community.

Previous award recipients have included:

  • 1983 - Cong. Samuel Gejdenson

  • 1984 - Sen. Robert Stafford

  • 1985 - Sen. Claiborne Pell

  • 1986 - Cong. Silvo Conte

  • 1987 - Sen. Lowell Weicker

  • 1988 - Sen. George Mitchell

  • 1989 - Mr. Richard Gerue

  • 1990 - Cong. Louis Stokes

  • 1991 - Mr. Thomas Wolanin

  • 1992 - Mr. David Evans

  • 1993 - Cong. Jack Reed

  • 1994 - Mr. Edward Elmendorf

  • 1995 - Sen. James Jeffords

  • 1996 - Mr. Charles Bunting

  • 1997 - Sen. Edward Kennedy

  • 1998 - Sen. Christopher Dodd

  • 1999 - Sen. Susan Collins

  • 2000 - Thomas G. Mortenson

  • 2001 - Jane Oates

  • 2002 - Cong. Patrick Kennedy

  • 2003 - Cong. Bernie Sanders

  • 2004 - Cong. John Tierney

  • 2005 - Cong. Michael Michaud

  • 2006 - Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee

  • 2007 - Vermont Governor James H. Douglas

  • 2008 - Cong. Rosa DeLauro

  • 2009 - Carol Shea Porter

  • 2010 - Cong. Jim McGovern

  • 2011 - Sen. Olympia Snowe

  • 2012 - Cong. Gwen Moore

  • 2014 - Sen. Chris Murphy

  • 2015 - Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

  • 2016 - Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Esq.

  • 2017 - Sen. Angus King

  • 2018 - Sen. Patrick Leahy

  • 2019 -

  • 2020 Cong. Joe Courtney

  • 2021 - Sen. Maggie Hassan

  • 2022 - Cong. Katherine Clark

  • 2023 - Katie Brown

  • 2024 - Sen. Peter Welch

  • 2025 - Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Marian Belgrave - Howard Award

Marian Belgrave - Howard served as the first President of the New England Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel, NEAEOPP, (now the New England Educational Opportunity Association, NEOA), in 1976. This award is given to individuals for their “inspiring and enduring contributions toward the achievement of NEAEOPP's (NEOA's) mission and toward the expansion of equal educational opportunity.”

Previous Recipients:

  • 1991 - Joan Becker

  • 1992 -

  • 1993 -

  • 1994 -

  • 1995 -

  • 1996 -

  • 1997 -

  • 1998 -

  • 1999 - Jerry Ellis

  • 2000 - Diane Saunders

  • 2001 - Donald Vickers

  • 2002 - Pam Boisvert

  • 2003 - Tom Putnam

  • 2004 - Blenda Wilson

  • 2005 - Dr. Clantha Carrigan McCurdy

  • 2006 - John Nazarian

  • 2007 - Shelley Saunders

  • 2008 - Len Lamberti

  • 2009 - Joe Costa

  • 2010 - Peter Budryk

  • 2011 - Alan Glotzer

  • 2012 - Donna Thompson

  • 2013 - Robert “Sigh” Searles

  • 2014 - Monica Sargent

  • 2015 - Alan Parks

  • 2016 - Mike Dennehy

  • 2017 - Carolyn Julian

  • 2018 - Linda Shiller

  • 2019 - Nancy Schwartz

  • 2020 - Robert Brown

  • 2021 - Elaine Leavitt

  • 2022 - Kristi Pierce

  • 2023 - Darylen Cote

  • 2024 - Dianne Griggs

  • 2025 - Craig Werth