-
A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-245
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
July 12, 2016
To recognize Donald L. Hense on his retirement on June 30, 2016 from serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Friendship Public Charter School.
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, was born on July 4, 1942 to Ivy and Fred Hense, and graduated from Vashon High School;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia and went on to attend graduate school at Stanford University, completing all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense was a Rockefeller Intern in Economics at Cornell University, a Merrill Scholar to the University of Ghana, a Ford Foundation Fellow at Stanford University, and a Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense served as Vice President of the National Urban League, Director of Development of the Children’s Defense Fund, Director of Governmental Relations at Howard University, Boston University, and Dartmouth College, and Vice President of Prairie View A&M University of the Texas A&M System;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense is co-founder of the Bridges to Friendship Initiative, which provided the early impetus for the revitalization of the Navy Yard and was recognized by Vice President Al Gore as a model community initiative;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and serves on numerous organizational boards nationwide;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World and received the Presidential Award of Distinction from Morehouse College in 2012, the Benjamin E. Mays Award for Service, and the Outstanding Educator Award from the Center for Education Reform;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense served as Executive Director of the Friendship House, a 100-year-old social service agency that helps children, families, and older adults;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense founded and served as the CEO and the Chairman of the Board of Friendship Public Charter School, the largest chartered public school in the Nation’s Capital, serving more than 4,200 students on 11 campuses;
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense was inducted into the National Charter School Hall of Fame in 2011 by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and also was inducted into the D.C. Hall of Fame in 2015, and the District of Columbia Charter School Hall of Fame in 2016 as one of its first inductees; and
WHEREAS, Donald L. Hense retired as CEO of Friendship Public Charter School on June 30, 2016 after 20 years.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Donald L. Hense Retirement Recognition Resolution of 2016”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes Donald L. Hense for his years of service as CEO of Friendship Public Charter School.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
