Mike Pence to Receive Thomas S. Foley Public Service Award

The Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University has selected Mike Pence to receive the 2026 Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service. The honor recognizes individuals who demonstrate ethical leadership, integrity, and a commitment to democratic values.

Pence will be presented with the award on September 10, 2026, during a ceremony and fundraiser at the John J. Hemmingson Center on the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane, Washington. The event will include a seated dinner and a keynote address by the former vice president.

Institute Director Cornell Clayton stated that Pence was chosen for his commitment to upholding democratic norms, specifically citing his refusal to block or delay the certification of the 2020 election. Clayton also noted Pence's previous service as the Governor of Indiana and his twelve-year tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The ceremony is sponsored by the Spokesman-Review, Avista, and Edmund O. Schweitzer III and Beatriz Schweitzer. Schweitzer highlighted the shared philosophies of civility and bipartisanship between Mike Pence and the award's namesake, Speaker Thomas Foley.