The 48th Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, will receive this year’s Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service in a ceremony to be held in Spokane, Sept. 10, 2026.
The annual award, bestowed by Washington State University’s Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service, recognizes individuals who have demonstrated integrity and courage in their commitment to public service and whose body of work has had a lasting impact. The criteria for selection include the attributes of ethical leadership and integrity, political courage, and commitment to democratic values.
“Vice President Pence has a long and distinguished history of public service and has continued to display that commitment since leaving public office,” said Cornell Clayton, director of the Foley Institute. “In addition to his service as vice president, his illustrious career includes governorship of the state of Indiana and twelve years serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. He demonstrated remarkable integrity, courage and a commitment to upholding democratic norms in the face of pressures to block or delay the certification of the 2020 election.”
Vice President Pence has a long and distinguished history of public service and has continued to display that commitment since leaving public office.
Cornell Clayton, director
Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service
Washington State University
In 2021, he founded Advancing American Freedom, a policy and advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. In 2025, he received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Library, and in 2026, he was Distinguished Visiting Professor of Practice, teaching at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.
The award ceremony, set for Thursday, Sept. 10, at the John J. Hemmingson Center on the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane, also serves as a fundraiser for the Foley Institute. The exclusive premier sponsors of the event are Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer and Mrs. Beatriz Schweitzer, with The Spokesman-Review serving as the media sponsor, and additional sponsorship provided by Avista.
“Civility and bipartisanship are shared philosophies of Speaker Foley and Vice President Pence,” noted Dr. Schweitzer, “The Foley Institute fosters these philosophies, and once again chooses an award recipient to inspire us, regardless of political party. After all, we have so much more in common than in difference. Beatriz and I are delighted to have this opportunity to support the Foley Institute.”
The award ceremony, with options for the purchase of tickets and sponsoring tables, will feature a seated dinner and keynote address by Vice President Pence.
The Foley Institute was established at WSU in 1995 to honor the lifetime of service by Thomas S. Foley. A Spokane native who represented the citizens of the 5th congressional district for 30 years, Foley served as the 49th Speaker of the House of Representatives and later served as U.S. ambassador to Japan. He remains the highest elected official ever to hail from Washington State. The institute’s mission is to recognize his extraordinary legacy of public service and his belief that democracy requires an educated and informed public. Since its inception, the institute has developed a reputation for quality educational programs and engaging young people in public service.
Please contact the Foley Institute for more information about the event, or to purchase tickets: tsfoley@wsu.edu; 509-335-3477.
Media Contacts
- Richard Elgar, Foley Institute, 509-432-1066, relgar@wsu.edu
