ICCTA Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award

2007 Recipient



The Hon. George Van Dusen
Mayor
Village of Skokie
Nominated by Oakton Community College


George Van Dusen has devoted his career to the ideal that an "open door" is the best pathway to an effective government.

He has demonstrated this commitment to honest, open and inclusive government during more than 30 years of public service as a congressional aide, a village trustee, and a suburban mayor.

Under his leadership, the village of Skokie received the Governor's Home Town Award in honor of the high level of citizen involvement in the decision-making process.


Mayor George Van Dusen accepts ICCTA's 2007 Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award.

Mayor George Van Dusen accepts ICCTA's 2007 Gary W. Davis Ethical Leadership Award.

 

Mayor Van Dusen has also handled tough ethical dilemmas with grace and creativity.

When confronted with a Ku Klux Klan gathering in ethnically diverse Skokie, he acknowledged their right to free speech – but called upon village citizens to assemble at another venue in a Peace and Harmony convocation.

Van Dusen also brings his real-world experiences into the classroom as a history and government instructor at Oakton Community College.

Most recently, he helped establish the Village of Skokie's very first scholarship -- the Excellence in Professional Government Management Scholarship, which will allow a Skokie resident to attend Oakton Community College.