The Jefferson Prize, made possible by an anonymous donor, honors the principles of our nation’s third president. Thomas Jefferson not only was proud of having written the Declaration of Independence, but also of having founded the University of Virginia. He dedicated himself to the pursuit of freedom and knowledge.

2009 Jefferson Prize

SUSAN SPERAW
The 2009 Jefferson Prize is awarded to Susan Speraw, a registered nurse and faculty member from the College of Nursing. In a post-9/11 environment, she saw a great need for nurses to be trained specifically for disaster response. She turned her idea into reality by establishing the Homeland Security Nursing program in 2005. The program was the first of its kind and drew national and international attention. Speraw has been unwavering in her commitment to the program and has assembled an impressive roster of instructors, including officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and NASA. Speraw’s nominator describes her as a gifted scholar-educator-leader, saying, “She has the rare ability to blend these strengths into a cohesive whole, thus demonstrating the highest level of competence, personal and professional integrity, and human caring.” Speraw is also an active researcher and a faculty associate for the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.