Our Heritage and the Award in the United States of America
OUR HERITAGE
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award was founded by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG, KT in 1956, in conjunction with Kurt Hahn, the German educationalist. Both were concerned that young people’s development was lacking in certain key areas, and they resolved to create a program that would be a ‘do-it-yourself kit in the art of civilized living’.
The subsequent spread of the Award across the globe is testament to the universal appeal of the program, and the vision of its founder. However, even HRH admits that this took him by surprise: “When the first trial of the Award was launched in 1956, no one had any idea quite what would happen. It was an instant success, and the Award has been growing and expanding worldwide ever since.”
The Award is now delivered in more than 130 countries worldwide, reaching over one million young people annually and over five million Awards achieved since 1956.
The Award in the USA
The vision of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA is to inspire and 
empower young Americans, from all backgrounds and communities, to challenge themselves and exceed expectations. Our ambition is to reach one percent of the fourteen to sixteen year old youth population in the United States, 160,000 over time. In our current Strategic Plan 2020-2025Â our interim goal is to reach 10,000 young people annually.
To achieve our goal and transform the lives of young people across the USA, we aim to collaborate with established youth serving serving organizations and schools, train and deploy dedicated and highly skilled community volunteers and engage the strategic support of individual and corporate stakeholders.
Our Leaders
Award USA Board Membership:
Major David Clarke, CVO
Honorary Advisor, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation
John Danielson, Board Chair
Chairman and CEO, The Chartwell Hamilton Group
Matthew Hiltzik
President and CEO, Hiltzik Strategies
Emma Morton
Director of Finance, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation
Duncan Palmer
Board Director and Financial Advisor
Ryan Ruskin
President & CEO, The Ruskin Group
Michael Smith
Partner, Watson Farley & Williams, LLP
Board Members Emeritus:
Gregory Belton
Nichelle Carr
Michael Clarke
James DiBiasi
Rick Gulliver
Amber Kennelly
Richard Pinola
Kimberly Saccaro
Anne Wallestad
Honorary Board:
Stephen Bridges, LVO
Director UK and Ireland, State of Indiana
Oliver Franklin II, CBE
Honorary British Consul to Philadelphia
David Hryck
Partner, Reed Smith
Kim Katz
Senior Financial Advisor & Principal, Private Wealth Management, AB Bernstein
Elizabeth Libby
Development Specialist, FairPlay
Daniel Singer
Founder & CEO, Filthy Foods
Deborah Webster
Philanthropist
Our Staff:
Suzanne J. Currie
Chief Executive Officer
scurrie@usaward.org
917-584-4180
Suzanne J. Currie has a distinguished career spanning both Wall Street, the Financial Services sectors and Philanthropy having served on boards of non-profits. She was Partner in the Greenwich/New York based Hedge Fund, Ardsley Partners, a long/short GARP equity fund, and has held senior positions in Alternatives Strategies in major financial institutions including Morgan Stanley, TD Bank LLC, Celadon Financial and JPMorgan Private Bank. Her roles in these organizations involved leadership responsibilities, particularly in Alternative Strategies, Wealth Management, Prime Brokerage and Private Banking.
In addition to her financial services career, Currie served on the New York Advisor Board for Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, as Chairman of the Celadon Foundation and as Board Member of the Hedge Fund Association, where she additionally chaired the Philanthropic committee. Her new position at the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award US highlights her commitment to integrating philanthropy into the financial industry, bridging the gap between finance and charitable endeavors.
Her experience on Wall Street and in Financial Services has provided her with a strong foundation for her current role as Chief Executive Officer of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award USA where she will leverage her extensive network for fundraising and expertise to advance the organization’s mission to provide non-formal education programs to students age 14-24 in all 50 states.
Lisa Metzger-Mugg, PhD
Vice President, Program & Operations
lmetzgermugg@usaward.org
312-265-1133
Lisa has a proven track record of innovative leadership with over 20 years of experience in program strategy, research and evaluation, finance, human resources, operations, and expanded engagement of stakeholders at a number of educational institutions. Prior to joining Award USA, she spent ten years at Northwestern University where she led strategic planning, institutional research, budget and resource allocation, divisional communications, and planning of several Board of Trustees committees. Prior to Northwestern, she led the Research and Evaluation unit at the City Colleges of Chicago and conducted clinical research at Johns Hopkins University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University, her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and her Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago. She also teaches graduate students at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University where her research area is in improving educational pathways and outcomes for marginalized and at-risk students.
Jennifer Power
Program Director
jpower@usaward.org
213-267-4441
Jenny brings to Award USA ten years of experience in the education sector and a skillset rooted in instructional practice, strategy development, data analysis, and program management. Previously, she worked at a national foundation supporting grantmaking to teacher and school leader training and development, with a focus on project based learning and innovative school models. She also coordinated the development and launch of an organization-wide evaluation framework and comprehensive grant reporting system. Jenny has experience as a nonprofit coordinator and a high school teacher, and is deeply committed to educational equity and expanding opportunities to learn outside of the traditional classroom setting. Jenny earned an MPP from the University of Southern California, an MAT from Dominican University of Illinois, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Andrew Yingling
Program Officer
ayingling@usaward.org
814-768-8450
Drew is an enthusiastic champion of youth development. He has contributed to a diverse array of projects aimed at unlocking and amplifying the immense potential of youth around the world. Previously, he spent two years inside the classroom teaching in both American Samoa and the Republic of Somaliland. In addition, he worked in Iraqi-Kurdistan where he supported the monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian and development projects designed for refugees and internally displaced persons. More recently, Drew worked on linking youth peacebuilding initiatives in Scotland with those happening throughout the wider global community. Drew holds an MLitt from the University of St. Andrews in Peacebuilding and Mediation Studies, an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science in Development Management, and a BA in Economics and History from Bucknell University.
Megan Zegler
Director of Finance and Operations
mzegler@usaward.org
312-763-2087
Megan brings over 35 years of experience in finance and administration to serving mission-driven organizations. She has specialized in standardizing and automating financial accounting, reporting, record keeping and systems so that agencies can operate more efficiently. She has managed all aspects of the budget planning cycle, prepared management and board reports, and maintained accurate and meaningful financial records. Her attention to detail ensures compliance in all financial management, government and grant reporting requirements and audit processes. She is especially effective in building collaborations with staff. Her most recent experiences were with Our Place and Cancer Research Foundation. Megan received her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, spending time with her four adult children and volunteering in local organizations in her community.
Our Alumni Award Staff:
Isabel Beariault, Bronze & Silver Award Holder
Alumni Award Leader
ibeariault@usaward.org
Isabel Beariault is a Bronze and Silver Award Holder. She has been an Alumni Award Leader for the Open Award Center since 2020, through which she has mentored participants across the country on their Award journeys. Prior to that, Isabel advocated for an Award Center to open at her own high school in Maryland, leading to over 50 students accessing the Award there since 2018. She works in Houston as a civil engineer for ExxonMobil, designing and implementing workplace strategies across the globe. Having moved around growing up, Isabel loves to engage with people from around the world and discovering different cultures both at ExxonMobil and through the award program. Isabel has a BSc in Civil Engineering and a MEng in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University. Outside of work, Isabel is an avid runner and triathlete!
VĂctor Echániz, Bronze, Silver, & Gold Award Holder
Alumni Award Leader
vechaniz@usaward.org
VĂctor Echániz has been fully engaged with The Award for 5 years. During those years, he completed his Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels. He served as a peer mentor to many young candidates at his Award Center. Having grown up as a member of the Worldwide Hungarian Scouting Association, VĂctor spent much of his time outdoors, exploring new passions and meeting new people. This led to his discovery of The Award, where he was able to fully engage with the program to further explore the world. The Award has taken him all across New England and even to Tanzania for his Gold Project.
VĂctor is also a very passionate musician and is currently realizing his dream of studying at Berklee College of Music, double majoring in Music Production & Engineering and Music Business. During his free time, VĂctor actively plays many sports, plays and produces music, loves to watch movies, and has even had a go at writing and directing his own feature short film.
Rosie John, Gold Award Holder
Alumni Award Leader
rjohn@usaward.org
Rosie’s passion for Award USA can be tracked back to when she was part of the pilot Virtual Award Program. Rosie’s dedication and hard work helped her achieve the Gold Award in 2019. Her Gold Project was in Cyprus, where Rosie worked with international students from Kuwait who were also on their Award journeys. With Rosie’s background in travel, she was able to easily navigate the communication barrier as she helped her students set and achieve progressive goals with an energetic zeal. She has been a strong advocate of Award USA for years, first as a participant and now as an Alumni Award Leader. Her contagious enthusiasm for the program is evident to everyone she works with.
Rosie brings to Award USA seven years of experience in the nonprofit realm. From starting her own nonprofit, The Red Wagon Campaign, to now working in live events for K-LOVE. Rosie has received many accolades for her volunteer work, including the Ohio School Board’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, National Points of Light Honoree, and the Ohio Senate Outstanding Citizen Recognition, but her most cherished is The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.
Jonathan Sim, Bronze Award Holder
Social Media Coordinator
jsim@usward.org
Jonathan is dedicated to service and supporting youth-centered organizations by giving back to communities that have helped him growing up, like The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. With a diverse and recent background in managing various social media accounts throughout high school and college, he brings novel experience to Award USA to boost engagement and growth. Jonathan is currently studying Biomedical Engineering at Boston University and in the Kilachand Honors College. He is passionate about outreach, both inside and outside the classroom, which can be seen through his wide involvement in research and clubs. As a Bronze Award Holder and current Silver Award Participant, Jonathan is also heavily involved with his local and international community, of which his time volunteering online as an ESL tutor for a student in Venezuela was most profound and impactful for him.