The John F. Kennedy Museum Foundation - Cape Cod, MA

The JFK Hyannis Museum Foundation Founders Community Leadership Award recognizes excellence in leadership as demonstrated by outstanding initiative, impact of work, and inspiration of others. Established in 2015 to recognize the founders of the JFK Hyannis Museum which was created in 1992 to preserve and promote the legacy of President Kennedy and his family’s deep connection to Cape Cod, this honor has been bestowed upon 2015 – Wendy Northcross and Rebecca Pierce-Merrick (2015), Michael Robinson and Gary Sheehan (2016), Joel Crowell (2017), Jung-Ho Pak (2018), DeWitt Davenport and The Davenport Companies (2019), Governor Charlie Baker (2022) and Dorothy A. Savarese (2023). The 2024 award was made on June 18, 2024, to State Representative Sarah K. Peake.

2024 Community Leadership Award Honoree

On June 18th, 2024 the museum presented Sarah K. Peak, Massachusetts State Representative of the 4th Barnstable District, with the 2024 JFK Hyannis Museum Founders Leadership Award.

Members of the Board with Senator Paul Kirk, and honoree, Rep. Sarah K. Peake.

Board chair, Paul Hart Miller , Rep. Peake, and Senator Paul Kirk.

Paul Hart Miller, the board chair for the JFK Hyannis Museum Foundation, had the honor of extending our thanks and immense appreciation to the 2024 recipient of the JFK Hyannis Museum Co-Founders’ Community Leadership Award.

Sarah K. Peake, the Massachusetts State Representative of the 4th Barnstable District –- or as she calls it “the best district in Massachusetts” — is stepping down from her elected office at the end of this year. She has served her elected office at the state house on Beacon Hill since 2007. But before that, she was a strong local leader in Provincetown. And she, and her wife Lynn, purchased and ran a bed and breakfast inn for 23 years. Through these experiences, Sarah became an integral part of our Cape Cod community and has given back her time and talent ever since landing on our shores over three decades ago.

Rep. Peake has served us as the House Chair for the Tourism, Arts & Culture Committee, increasing the budgets for cultural organizations and the cultural facilities fund. She has led the Regional Transit Authority caucus and helped to create the rural caucus. She has served as the Massachusetts Legislative Commissioner on the Atlantic State Marne Fisheries Commission and has served as chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.

Capping her state house career as Second Assistant Marjoity Leader, she has been a member of the House Speaker’s team to work on legislative priorities.

During her tenure as a House leader, Rep. Peake was instrumental to advancing legislation that will remain part of her legacy forever. With a cross-party delegation in Boston, she worked with business and environmental organizations to expand the state and local accommodations tax to include short term rentals. This was an important issue to the tourism business community across the state who were seeking parity in taxation on overnight stays. And town officials had been seeking ways to boost municipal budgets, which this law did as well.

At the same time, Rep. Peake led the Cape delegation to establish the Cape Cod & Islands Water Protection Fund for Cape towns to help pay for critical wastewater systems to remediate and protect our water quality. This fund is an example of working across the aisle and with diverse, sometimes competing organizations, to solve large problems for the benefit of every single Cape Codder.

We know that there are many accomplishments that will form her political legacy, including her work to bring home millions of dollars to support affordable housing, to address hunger, public transportation, school funding and coastal dredging. She has led on civil rights and LGBTQI+ equity. And we want to call out one more effort that was so critical for all of us when COVID hit our shores not that long ago.

Working with a large swath of community organizations and elected officials to navigate COVID impacts, Sarah became part of the “executive committee” of the Cape & Islands Reopening Task Force. Daily Zoom huddles with health care leaders, the local hospitals, Barnstable County Health officials, the business community, transit authority and more, led to an aggressive response by Cape Cod to make sure we had the resources we needed to “protect lives and livelihoods.”

Rep. Peake has done this work with grace, humility, and truthfulness. She has been a fierce advocate not just for her district, but for all Cape Codders, and exemplifies the type of leadership shown by our founders, and by our 35th President – John F. Kennedy, who said “things do not happen. Things are made to happen.”

Sarah, you’ve lived by those words.

Thank You to Our 2024 Leadership Award Sponsors

2023 JFK Leadership Award Recipient

On October 19th, 2023 the museum presented Dorothy A. Savarese, retired CEO of Cape Cod Five and Board President of Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative, with the 2023 JFK Hyannis Museum Founders Leadership Award.

Photos by Studio By The Sea

Wendy K. Northcross, JFK Hyannis Museum Executive Director, and Christopher Ward with Dorothy Savarese

Senator Paul Kirk with Dorothy Savarese

2023 Press Release

For immediate release

Contact: Wendy K. Northcross, Executive Director cell: 508-364-4557

JFK HYANNIS MUSEUM BESTOWS LEADERSHIP AWARD UPON DOROTHY A. SAVARESE

(October 20, 2023) Hyannis, MA – The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Foundation has announced that Dorothy A. Savarese, retired CEO of Cape Cod Five has received the 2023 JFK Hyannis Museum Founders Community Leadership Award. Created in 2015 to recognize outstanding examples of leadership in the inspiration of others, in the advancement of the civic and economic well-being of Cape Cod, the award will be conferred upon Savarese at a reception at the JFK Hyannis Museum on Thursday, October 19, 2023.

“Starting as a commercial lending officer Savarese rose through the ranks to become president and chief executive officer of Cape Cod Five, an independently owned and operated financial institution founded on Cape Cod in 1855,” said Peter Ubertaccio, chair of the board of the foundation. “Importantly, we acknowledge her role as mentor to many, an advocate for women, advancing women in banking leadership roles and as a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Following her retirement from Cape Cod Five, Savarese has focused on her role as president of the board of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative as it works to increase the Cape’s resiliency and adaptation to a changing climate. The JFK Hyannis Museum Foundation recognizes this new role and her decades of commitment to regional banking as well as her leadership on the boards of key Cape institutions such as the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Cape Cod Community College, Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, and Housing Assistance Corp.

2022 JFK Leadership Award Recipient

On August 12th, 2022 the museum presented Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker the 2022 JFK Hyannis Museum Founders Leadership Award.

(Photos by Big Tree/Manxer Magyar)

As Baker culminates his two-terms in the office of Governor of the Commonwealth, the JFK Hyannis Museum Foundation board thanked the Governor and his administration for an inclusive style of leadership that effectively improved the lives of our citizens.

“Governor Baker has successfully led our citizens and Commonwealth through some of the most dynamic and tumultuous times in our history,” said Peter Ubertaccio, chair of the foundation board. His calm and steady hand on the tiller of state government during the global pandemic, his ability to get things done with across party aisles, his vision for a clean energy – climate friendly economy, and his commitment to some issues very critical to Cape Cod’s quality of life have earned him our respect and most sincere thanks.

JFK HYANNIS MUSEUM BESTOWS LEADERSHIP AWARD UPON GOV. CHARLIE BAKER

2022 Press Release

For immediate release

Contact: Wendy K. Northcross, Executive Director cell: 508-364-4557

JFK HYANNIS MUSEUM BESTOWS LEADERSHIP AWARD UPON GOV. CHARLIE BAKER

(August 15, 2022) Hyannis, MA – The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Foundation has announced that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has received the 2022 JFK Hyannis Museum Founders Leadership Award.

Created in 2015 to recognize outstanding examples of leadership in the inspiration of others, in advancement of the civic and economic well-being of Cape Cod, the award was conferred upon Baker at a reception at the JFK Hyannis Museum on Friday, August 12th.

“Governor Baker has successfully led our citizens and Commonwealth through some of the most dynamic and tumultuous times in our history,” said Peter Ubertaccio, chair of the board of the foundation. “His calm and steady hand on the tiller of state government during the global pandemic, his ability to get things done with across party aisles, his vision for a clean energy – climate friendly economy, and his commitment to some issues very critical to Cape Cod’s quality of life have earned him our respect and most sincere thanks,” said Ubertaccio as he presented the award to the Governor.

Baker was specifically acknowledged for significant contributions during his term as Governor that directly benefit Cape Cod, including advancing offshore energy generation, helping Cape towns with climate adaptation and resiliency planning, and committing Mass. Department of Transportation in planning and construction of new bridges and improved roads, bike, pedestrian and transit modes in the Cape Cod Canal area.

“The Baker administration’s advancement of the Blue Economy has helped us address issues of economic diversification, and the work on housing affordability and water quality protection works for equity for all residents and businesses here,” said Wendy Northcross, foundation executive director. “Baker’s team created new ways to support arts and culture, including the new Mass Cultural Council Recovery Grants and the Destination Development Capital grants, which helped the JFK Hyannis Museum install high speed broadband.”

As Baker culminates his two-terms in the office of Governor of the Commonwealth, the JFK Hyannis Museum Foundation thanked the Governor and his administration for their inclusive style of leadership that effectively improved the lives of our citizens.

Past JFK Leadership Award Recipients

Recipients

2015 – Wendy Northcross and Rebecca Pierce-Merrick
2016 – Michael Robinson and Gary Sheehan
2017 – Joel Crowell
2018 – Jung-Ho Pak
2019 – DeWitt Davenport and The Davenport Companies
2022 – Governor Charlie Baker

Due to COVID-19 impacts, no awards were made in 2020 and 2021.