Clare Smith, President of Aid to Artisans from 1986-2005, will be honored on April 7th in Washington, D.C. with the prestigious “Founders Award for Civic Leadership,” an award given by Partners for Livable Communications (PLC). PLC is a 32-year old civic organization dedicated to improving communities through quality of life, economic development and social equity.
The award honors Clare’s commitment to helping artisans world-wide. Partners for Livable Communities: “Clare was honored for becoming a pioneer in creating a sustainable global craft market for over 20 years”¦her unwavering dedication to artisans and their ability to make a living through their skills to build Aid to Artisans into a thriving and influential organization. Smith modestly attributes the success of the organization not to herself or her staff, but to the organization’s recognition that artisans are capable, innovative, and skilled people, who when empowered, can become competitive tradesmen in the global craft market. Through this perspective, artisans from around the world have become successful in selling their products through mainstream outlets such as Neiman Marcus, Pottery Barn and Pier 1 Imports.”
Last year, the Founders Award went to William K. Reilly, former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, for his work in creating alliances between business and environmental communities during his time as President of the World Wildlife Fund.
Charles Clifford, ATA board member and alumni of The Indiana School of Business, was honored during an awards ceremony at the 63rd annual IU Business Conference held March 11, 2009 in Indiana. The “2009 Distinguished Entrepreneur Award” was presented to Charles, who is the co-founder of Tumi Inc. and served as its CEO for many years before finishing his career running Tumi’s international business.
Today, Tumi is sold in 60 countries and is the leading brand of prestige travel wear. Prior to Charles work in business entrepreneurship, he spent two years at an experimental Peace Corps program in Peru designed for MBAs, working as a consultant and assisting government agencies with economic development projects. It is no surprise that Charles is a key board member at Aid to Artisans, where he combines his passion for helping the international community with his knowledge in business entrepreneurship to play a key role in assisting artisans worldwide.
