FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 14, 2014
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Maralee Csellar: 202-994-7564, [email protected]
Candace Smith: 202-994-3566, [email protected]
Simon Lee Awarded George Washington University President’s Medal
Alumnus is First Korean-American to Receive President’s Highest Honor
WASHINGTON—Simon Lee, founder and chief executive officer of STG Inc., will be awarded
the George Washington University President’s Medal, the highest honor the university president
can award. George Washington President Steven Knapp will present the award at a ceremony
on GW’s Foggy Bottom Campus on Nov. 19.
The George Washington University President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have
exhibited courage, character and leadership in their chosen fields and who exemplify the ability
of all human beings to improve the lives of others. Mr. Lee is the first Korean-American to
receive this honor.
“Simon Lee is a faithful friend and alumnus whose devotion to education has enabled students
in both the United States and the Republic of Korea to realize their dreams,” Dr. Knapp said. “I
am proud to bestow this special honor on him for his unwavering dedication to the George
Washington University, his achievements as a visionary entrepreneur, and his leadership in
fostering educational exchanges between his two alma maters and the great capital cities in
which they reside.”
Since 2002, Mr. Lee has been an active GW volunteer and an influential advocate for GW in the
U.S. and abroad, playing a critical role in the growth and success of the School of Engineering
and Applied Science (SEAS) and serving as an invaluable resource for student, parent and
alumni relations in the Republic of Korea. With a $1 million gift in 2010, Mr. Lee, along with his
wife, Anna, endowed the Korea University Undergraduate Exchange Program, which provides
financial assistance for engineering students at GW to study abroad at Korea University.
Another gift of $1 million in 2014 to Korea University funds an exchange program for graduate
students and professors between the two universities.
“I am so honored to receive this prestigious medal,” Mr. Lee said. “I am extremely proud of the
relationship GW and Korea University have formed and look forward to its continued growth so
that others may have the good fortune of experiencing both institutions as I have.”
After earning his master’s degree from SEAS in 2005, Mr. Lee became a member of the SEAS
National Advisory Council. This is the third honor GW has bestowed upon Mr. Lee in recent
years. In 2010, GW inducted him into the school’s Engineering Hall of Fame, and in 2012, he
received GW’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Korea University awarded Mr. Lee an
honorary doctorate in 2013.
Mr. Lee began his career in 1979, when he emigrated from the Republic of Korea to the U.S.
He worked as an engineer and bookkeeper with MCI Telecommunications. His expertise in
these areas inspired him to start his own firm to address the growing demand for high-quality
information technology (IT) support services. In 1986 he founded STG Inc., as a governmentcontracting firm that specialized in infrastructure support, security, applied engineering and
scientific support. The company has grown tremendously in the 28 years since and now
partners with more than 50 federal agencies, as well as Fortune 100 companies and overseas
organizations.
“I am delighted that the George Washington University will award the President’s Medal to Mr.
Simon Lee,” said David Dolling, dean of SEAS. “Mr. Lee is not only a very successful
businessman but also an extraordinarily passionate and successful bridge builder between the
United States and Korea, and between the George Washington University and Korea University.
Nobody believes more strongly than Mr. Lee in the power of education to better lives, and
nobody has been such a tireless ambassador for both universities, building and aiding
exchange programs and developing relationships. The lives of many students have been, and
will continue to be, enriched through the programs he has built and supported.”
Previous recipients of the President’s Medal, established in 1988, include Nobel laureate and
former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, first president of the Czech Republic
Václav Havel, former president of Romania Ion Iliescu, former Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili, former Prime Minister of Hungary Ferenc Gyurcsany, Peruvian President Alejandro
Toledo, former Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, former
Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel Laureate Shimon Peres, legendary Israeli diplomat Abba Eban,
United States Senators William Frist and Joseph Lieberman, NASA astronaut Charles J.
Camarda, philanthropist Albert H. Small and Swiss diplomat and social justice advocate Carl Lutz.
The George Washington University
In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington
University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of
higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of
undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public
health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a
diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.
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