(MENAFN- pr newswire) the 55th annual ripple of hope award ceremony will be held in new york on december 6, 2023 new york, june 29, 2023 /prnewswire/ -- robert f. kennedy human rights today announced the winners of its 2023 ripple of hope awards: jeff arnold , founder, chairman, and ceo of sharecare ; greg baroni , founder and ceo of attain enterprises ; and gail k. boudreaux, president and ceo of elevance health . the laureates will be honored at a gala on wednesday, december 6 in new york.
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the robert f. kennedy ripple of hope award annually honors exemplary leaders across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice, and human rights. through their professional and personal commitments, this year's laureates have sought to improve community health and help organizations across industries institute better business practices.
robert f. kennedy human rights names 2023 ripple of hope award laureates
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"a just and peaceful world is possible when we take ownership for the dignity, equity, and humanity of our respective communities and the world at large," said kerry kennedy, president of robert f. kennedy human rights. "as evidenced by each of their distinguished careers, jeff, greg, and gail understand this guiding principle, lead by example, and continue to advance the common good."
with decades of experience in the healthcare industry, arnold and boudreaux have dedicated their careers to simplifying healthcare and expanding access to needed services and resources. prior to founding digital health company sharecare, arnold founded webmd and quality diagnostic services, one of the first organizations to utilize telemedicine. named one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare, boudreaux has held various leadership roles at top health insurance companies.
"i've long believed that access to both information and healthcare is paramount, and there is incredible potential for technology to demonstrably reduce - and ultimately eradicate - barriers to these most fundamental of human rights," said jeff arnold, chairman and ceo of sharecare . "i am deeply honored to receive the ripple of hope award and, alongside my sharecare colleagues, remain fiercely committed to empowering people everywhere to live their healthiest lives."
"it is an honor to receive this award that stands as a legacy to robert f. kennedy's humanitarianism and his dedication to advancing equity, justice, and human rights," said gail k. boudreaux, president and ceo at elevance health . "like elevance health's more than 100,000 employees worldwide, i am grateful for the privilege and opportunity we have each day to make a positive difference in the lives of the people and communities we serve."
from the helm of attain enterprises, greg baroni works with organizations across the public sector, including education, nonprofits, healthcare, and state and local governments to guide them through program and project management which strengthens dei and allyship services, and maximizes corporate impact. additionally, through investments in multiple professional baseball and soccer clubs, baroni brings a community-focused and values-driven approach to connect diverse groups and create impact through the power of sports.
"i am humbled to be included among such an impressive list of honorees committed to effecting lasting change," said greg baroni, founder and chief executive officer of attain enterprises . "having a platform that enables me to support others is a privilege, and i will continue each day in pursuit of progress, justice, and making a positive impact in our world."
the ripple of hope award is inspired by robert f. kennedy's renowned speech, the 1966 day of affirmation remarks he addressed to students in south africa at the height of apartheid: "each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
previous winners of the ripple of hope award include stacey abrams, amanda gorman, former president barack obama, tim cook, colin kaepernick, dolores huerta, desmond tutu, former secretary of state hillary clinton, late congressman john lewis, bono, dr. anthony fauci, speaker nancy pelosi, robert f. smith, george clooney, former president bill clinton, and then-vice president joe biden.
learn more about rfk human rights and its annual ripple of hope award here .
about the 2023 ripple of hope laureates:
jeff arnold
over the last 25 years, jeff arnold has been recognized globally for his innovative vision and entrepreneurial efforts to democratize healthcare, expand access to knowledge and opportunity, and improve well-being for people and the communities in which they live, work, play, and pray.
in addition to founding digital health company sharecare – where he continues to serve as chairman and ceo – arnold has helmed several digital-first companies aimed at empowering people with information, including webmd, which he founded at only 28 years old. consistently named among atlanta's most admired ceos and the state of georgia's most influential business leaders, he also believes that benevolent acts are essential to improving the health of communities – which is why he is thoughtful about how the companies he leads can use their platforms to foster the change we want to see in the world.
arnold's innovative spirit and successful endeavors to advance health literacy and access to care have earned him widespread industry accolades, including winning the ernst & young entrepreneur of the year award in the southeast twice – in 1999 for webmd and 2019 for sharecare – making him one of only a handful of people in history to receive this prestigious award for two different companies. as founding co-chair and board member of endeavor atlanta, he enjoys giving back to entrepreneurs in his hometown by providing invaluable access to mentorship, capital, new markets, and talent resources. a graduate of the university of georgia, arnold has been on numerous boards for public, private, and charitable organizations over the years, and currently serves as chairman of forbes travel guide, the global authority on luxury hospitality.
greg baroni
greg baroni is the founder and ceo of attain enterprises, which includes attain partners, attain capital partners, and attain sports and entertainment. attain partners is a leading consulting firm dedicated to the education, nonprofit, healthcare, and state and local government markets. on the private equity front, attain capital partners invests in growth-stage companies in the knowledge economy. attain sports & entertainment owns and manages the orioles double-a affiliate bowie baysox, the mlb draft league frederick keys, and the atlantic league professional baseball (alpb) spire city ghost hounds, and is the controlling owner of the united soccer league championship loudoun united fc and the recently announced super league washington, d.c., a women's professional soccer team.
known for his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, baroni has been honored with numerous industry leadership awards and recognitions, including the coveted ey entrepreneur of the year, fed 100, fast company's fast 50, consulting magazine's top 25, northern virginia technology council (nvtc) tech 100, and the greater washington government contracting awards' executive of the year.
in november 2022, baroni received the lifetime achievement award from washingtonexec. that same month, baroni and his wife, camille, made a gift to george mason university's school of business to create the greg and camille baroni center for government contracting, a first of its kind university center to address business, technology, policy, and regulatory issues in government contracting.
baroni also serves as board chair for the northern virginia technology council (nvtc), and actively supports the missions of several charitable organizations, including the women's center and the national kidney foundation.
gail k. boudreaux
gail boudreaux serves as president and chief executive officer at elevance health, where she leads the company in improving lives and communities, simplifying healthcare, and building trust with customers. her career scaling multi-billion-dollar businesses in the healthcare industry spans over 30 years, including six years as ceo of united healthcare, a division of unitedhealth group, and executive roles at health care service corporation and aetna inc. today, she oversees elevance health's nearly 100,000 associates and 119 million people served, and a growing portfolio of plans and subsidiaries that generated revenue of nearly 156 billion in 2022.
gail has been named as one of fortune magazine's most powerful women in business... and featured by forbes as one of 100 most powerful women in the world. additionally, she has been named by modern healthcare as one of the 100 most influential people in healthcare, and she also received the 2018 billie jean king leadership award and the 2022 ncaa theodore roosevelt award. she earned a bachelor's degree with honors from dartmouth college and an mba with distinction from columbia business school.
gail currently serves on the board of directors for target, the central indiana corporate partnership, inc., blue cross blue shield association (bcbsa), the business council, the national institute for health care management, and american health insurance plans.
about robert f. kennedy human rights
we are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize robert f. kennedy's dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. in partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issues-championing change makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. and to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice.
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