The 2006 Excellence in
Education Leadership Award and Tribute Dinner

On October 4, 2006, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce presented the Excellence in Education Leadership Award to Edward B. Rust, Jr., Chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance. Mr. Rust is an individual who has combined his passion for education improvement with the resources of his company to make a real difference.

A native of Illinois, Rust joined State Farm® in 1975 at the Dallas, Texas, regional office. He became president and chief executive officer in 1985 and was elected to the additional post of chairman of the board in 1987.

Nationally recognized as a leader of the business community's efforts to improve the quality of education in the United States, he currently serves on the No Child Left Behind Commission, a bi-partisan, independent group established to make recommendations to Congress and the Bush Administration on how the federal law can be improved. He is former co-chairman of the Business Coalition for Excellence in Education and served on President Bush's Transition Advisory Team committee on education. He is former chairman of the Business Higher Education Forum, former chairman of The Business Roundtable's Education Initiative, a director of Achieve, Inc., a director of the National Center for Educational Accountability, and served on the National (Glenn) Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century.

He is co-chair of The Business Roundtable, chairman emeritus of the Illinois Business Roundtable, and a member of The Business Council. He is former chairman of several other organizations, including the American Enterprise Institute, The Financial Services Roundtable, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and the National Alliance of Business. He serves on the Board of Trustees of The Conference Board and is a former member of the board of directors of the American Council of Life Insurance.

He is a trustee of Illinois Wesleyan University and former member of the advisory council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is a former trustee of The American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters and a former member of the board of overseers of The Institute for Civil Justice. Rust is a member of the Texas and Illinois bar associations.

The Excellence in Education Leadership Award, now in its second year, is presented by the U.S. Chamber—in consultation with its members and advisors—to a private sector, public, or non-profit leader who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to improving the quality of education.

2005 Recipient

In October 2005, Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. was recognized for his outstanding achievements in education. Learn More.