2023 HARGROVE FOUNDATION GALA BRINGS CAPTAIN “SULLY” SULLENBERGER TO MOBILE
The Hargrove Foundation will host its eighth annual gala at the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel on Thursday, November 30th, 2023, in Mobile, Alabama. This year, Ambassador “Sully” Sullenberger of “Miracle on the Hudson” acclaim will serve as the featured guest speaker.
“We are excited to welcome Ambassador Sully and add him to our legacy of incredible speakers in Mobile,” says Micki Kohn, president of the Hargrove Foundation board of directors. “We look forward to joining together once again with our community and championing the causes we support through the Hargrove Foundation.”
Ambassador “Sully” Sullenberger has been dedicated to the pursuit of safety his entire adult life. While he is best known for serving as Captain during what has been called the “Miracle on the Hudson” when, in January of 2009, he and his crew safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in New York City’s frigid Hudson River, he recently served as the U.S. Ambassador and Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and is a sought-after speaker, safety expert, author and pilot.
Sullenberger is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters and Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America's Leaders. Clint Eastwood directed the major motion picture about Sullenberger’s life, titled SULLY, based on Highest Duty starring Tom Hanks. The film was released to critical acclaim in September 2016 and garnered four Broadcast Film Critics nominations and one Academy Award nomination. Highest Duty was republished that year as SULLY: My Search for What Really Matters.
Sullenberger considers it one of the greatest honors of his life having been asked by President Biden to be the U.S. Ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations Specialized Agency, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021. He served in the post in 2022. During his tenure he reasserted effective U.S. leadership at ICAO, tackling the aviation crises involving Belarus, Russia, a Middle East airspace dispute, and climate change.
The Hargrove Foundation invites you to join the celebration of the Foundation’s mission to support education, health and human services, arts and culture, and qualified sports activities. It is through the generosity of partners and the Hargrove team that all 18 communities where Hargrove’s offices are located may be served.
Mark your calendars early for this truly remarkable event – visit hargrovefoundationgala.com for further details including ticket sales and sponsorships.