Gala

The 2013 Spring Gala on April 2 brought nearly 400 Virginians together in Richmond to honor our current and former Lieutenant Governors and Attorneys General. Speakers included John Hager, Mary Sue Terry, Jerry Kilgore, Tim Kaine and keynote speaker Jim Lehrer.

You can view larger versions of these photos by choosing the fullscreen icon in the bottom right, or by clicking the Flickr logo to view the set on Flickr.

Leigh Middleditch, co-founder of the Sorensen Institute, presented Sorensen's first Founders Award at this month's Gala. Award-winner Walt De Vries' Institute of Political Leadership in North Carolina was the inspiration for the Sorensen Institute. De Vries was also responsible for bringing Middleditch and co-founder Michael Bills together in 1993.

Michael Pearlmutter, executive director of the Institute of Political Leadership in North Carolina, accepted the award on behalf of Walt De Vries.

The 2013 Sorensen Gala on April 2 brought nearly 400 Virginians together in Richmond to honor our current and former Lieutenant Governors and Attorneys General.

Cooper Center director John Thomas began the evening with a heartfelt tribute to Sorensen's founding executive director Bill Wood, who passed away Nov. 16.

Watch the Newsroom for more video of this event in the upcoming week, and keep an eye on our Facebook page for a wealth of Gala photos coming soon.

The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership will host its annual Spring Gala on Tuesday, April 2 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

This year's event honors Virginia's Lieutenant Governors and Attorneys General. Speakers will include Mary Sue Terry, Jerry Kilgore, Don Beyer, John Hager and keynote speaker Jim Lehrer of PBS NewsHour.

You can have your business or organization sponsor a table! Contact Colleen Smith at 434-982-4910.

Visit sorensengala.com for directions, tickets and sponsorship opportunities.  

Gov. McDonnell and eight former Governors of Virginia at Sorensen's 2012 Governors Gala

The 2012 Governors Gala was a historic event, gathering together all eight former governors of Virginia, as well as Gov. McDonnell. Video recording of the governors' remarks was provided courtesy of VDOT's Communications Division. Videos can be viewed in HD at 1280X720 on our YouTube channel.

The "Service to Sorensen" Award recognizes the graduate who has most given of time, talents and efforts in supporting the Sorensen Institute in the past year. This year's award was presented to Helm Dobbins of Danville.

The Expression of Ideals Award recognizes the graduate who has, in the past year, best represented the ideals at the heart of the Sorensen mission: a spirit of ethics, bipartisanship and civic engagement. This year's Expression of Ideals award was presented to Margi Vanderhye (PLP 2006) and Jon Hannah (PLP 2011).