Timothy Shriver: Global Down Syndrome Foundation
2010 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award Recipient

Timothy Shriver

Timothy P. Shriver is a social leader, an educator, activist, film producer and business entrepreneur. He is the Chairman & CEO of Special Olympics, and in that capacity he serves nearly 3.5 million Special Olympics athletes and their families in more than 170 countries.

In his 14 years at the helm of Special Olympics, Shriver launched the organization’s most ambitious growth agenda leading to the recruitment of over 2 million new athletes around the world. He has worked with world leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Bertie Ahern, Rafiq Hariri, Thabo Mbeki, Julius Nyerere, Hosni Mubarak, and Shimon Peres to advance the growth of the Special Olympics mission and vision while challenging nations to adopt more supportive and just policies. He has spearheaded programs in developing or war-torn countries such as Afghanistan, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Iraq.

Shriver has also created exciting new Special Olympics initiatives in athlete leadership, cross- cultural research, health, education, and family support. Among them, Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® has become the world’s largest public health screening and education program for people with intellectual disabilities, and Special Olympics Get Into It®, together with Unified Sports®, promotes inclusion and acceptance around the world.

As part of his passion for promoting the gifts of the forgotten, Shriver has harnessed the power of Hollywood to share the stories of inspiration and change, co-producing DreamWorks Studios’ Amistad, and Disney’s The Loretta Claiborne Story. He is Executive Producer of The Ringer, a Farrelly Brothers’ film. He has produced or co-produced shows for ABC, TNT, and NBC networks, and made broadcast appearances on The Today Show, CNN and MTV.

Shriver earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a Master’s degree in Religion and Religious Education from Catholic University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Connecticut. He is the recipient of numerous honors and honorary degrees. He has authored articles in many leading publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Commonweal.