Sutherland Institute Awards Dinner
Join us on October 29th for the 2026 Sutherland Institute Awards Dinner: Founding America’s Next 250 Years
This is an official America 250 event, highlighting the importance of faith, family, and freedom for the nation’s future.
Details
Thursday, October 29 | Grand America Hotel | Grand Salon | 555 S. Main St, Salt Lake City
Sutherland’s founder Gaylord Swim once said:
Those who, for whatever reason, choose not to run for public office, ought to be grateful to those who will, even if we do not always fully agree with them. After all, governing in a free society ought not to be about winning or ruling, rather it is about leading, serving, uniting and about achieving the best solutions under a framework of law. This process requires strong advocates, certainly, but it also takes a counter-balancing sense of humility, civility and dialogue.
Award Recipients
Mike & Jackie Leavitt
Family Values Award Recipients
Michael O. Leavitt and Jacalyn Smith Leavitt have spent their lives building institutions meant to outlast them.
Mike served three terms as Utah’s 14th governor, then as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and as the 20th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Along the way he co-founded Western Governors University and chaired the National Governors Association.
Jackie, an accomplished musician and Utah’s First Lady for a decade, created the Utah Marriage Commission — the first in the nation, and still at work today — and founded iKeepSafe, the children’s online-safety nonprofit. Her books have taught a generation of children to safely navigate a digital world.
Mike and Jackie are the proud parents of five children, who have not only shared their parents with the world but sacrificed and served alongside them.
Today Mike and Jackie preside together over the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, which this year lends its voice to America’s 250th anniversary.
Arthur Brooks
George Sutherland Award Recipient
Sutherland is honored to present this award to Arthur Brooks in partnership with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Arthur is one of the world’s leading experts on the science of human happiness, appearing in the media and traveling the world to teach people in private companies, universities, public agencies, and faith communities how they can live happier lives and bring greater well-being to others.
Brooks is a professor at Vanderbilt University, a senior fellow at the Harvard Business School, and a University of Utah Impact Scholar. He is a CBS News contributor, columnist with The Free Press, and host of the weekly podcast “Office Hours with Arthur Brooks.”
He is the author of 16 books, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey), and From Strength to Strength.
Photo: Jenny Sherman
Ticket Packages
2 Seats – $1,500:
A $1,500 donation receives 2 seats at the Awards Dinner.
Table Sponsor – $10,000:
A $10,000 donation receives 1 table of 8 seats at the at the Awards Dinner.
To purchase this option, please contact Ford Copple: ford@sifreedom.org.
Title Sponsor – $25,000:
A $25,000 donation receives up to 2 tables of 8 seats each at the at the Awards Dinner.
To purchase this option, please contact Ford Copple: ford@sifreedom.org.
If you prefer not to pay online fees, alternative payment methods are also available upon request. Please email Ford@sifreedom.org for more information.
Title Sponsor
Table Sponsors
Bruce & Jean Bingham
Program Sponsors
