In January 2003, President George W. Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The President appointed the following individuals to be members:

Chair

Darrell Green – Virginia

Darrell Green is a seven-time All-Pro defensive back, four-time NFL Fastest Man, and two-time Super Bowl Champion. Born in Houston, Texas, Darrell played college football at Texas A&I University and was drafted into the NFL in 1983. In 2002, Green retired after celebrating 20 consecutive seasons playing football with the Washington Redskins. Green founded the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation (DGYLF) in 1988 establishing community-based, values-driven learning centers operating in select urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods throughout America for youth facing particular challenges. He also founded the Darrell Green Business Council for Youth bringing together business leaders to utilize their expertise in support of DGYLF programs. Fifteen years after leaving Texas A&I University, Green completed his college education and graduated from St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Honorary Co-Chair

Bob Dole – Kansas

Born in Russell, Kansas, Bob Dole has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to public service. Elected to both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Dole served as Senate Republican Leader for 12 years before departing to seek the GOP nomination for President in 1996. Among his many roles, Bob Dole is the National Chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign and Co-Chair of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. During WWII, Dole was as a platoon leader in the legendary Tenth Mountain Division. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest honor for distinguished service.

Honorary Co-Chair

John Glenn – Ohio

John Glenn has led a remarkable career in public service, serving as a Navy pilot, astronaut and U.S. Senator. For his service in World War II and the Korean War, Glenn received numerous awards including the American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. As an astronaut with the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 “Friendship 7” spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the Earth. At the age of 77, Glenn again went to space as part of the STS-95 Discovery mission in 1998. As a result of his work with the space program, Glenn has earned the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Glenn was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974 and served four consecutive terms until 1998.

Members

Sean Astin – California

Sean Patrick Astin has shown a promising talent in acting since a young boy, making his first feature film debut at the age of 13 as "Mikey Walsh" in Richard Donner's adventure The Goonies. Astin is also remembered for his portrayal of a young man determined to play football for Notre Dame in Rudy (1993) which won hearts across America, and continues to inspire young people whenever it is shown. He is currently starring in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, playing the role of Samwise Gamgee. Astin graduated with honors from UCLA with degrees in History and American Literature and Culture. He has served as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army since 1995. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Christine Louise and daughters Alexandra Louise and Elizabeth Louise.

Emy Lou Baldridge – Texas

Emy Lou Baldridge is an active child advocate, having most recently been the founding chairperson of Greater Texas Community Partners, a volunteer organization providing resources and support to abused and neglected children and their families involved with Texas Child Protective Services. An extension of Dallas Community Partners, founded in 1989, the state-wide group has established working organizations and boards in 103 communities throughout Texas and mobilized 5,000 volunteers serving 60,000 children in 2001. Ms. Baldridge’s extensive volunteer efforts have been focused on improving the quality of life for children, promoting parenting education and recruiting other volunteers. She has received many honors, including the Pi Beta Phi “Unsung Angel Award for 2002,” a Daily Point of Light 2001, nomination for the 2000 President’s Service Award, Junior League Sustainer of 1998, and Greater Texas Community Partner’s Outstanding Volunteer, 1997.

Dixie Carter - Tennessee

Dixie Carter is without doubt one of the most versatile artists performing today. In television, Ms. Carter is best known for her roles as Julia Sugarbaker on the long-running comedy hit, Designing Women, and more recently as Randi King, the smart, sharp tongued lawyer with a southern rasp on Family Law. In addition to her many television credits, Ms. Carter also has an extensive theatre background and began her acting career at the Front Street Theatre in Memphis. Born in McLemoresville, Tennessee, Ms. Carter attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Rhodes College in Memphis, from which she has since received an honorary doctorate. She is a graduate of the University of Memphis.

Amber Coffman – Maryland

A senior at Pepperdine University, Amber Coffman has been bringing love to those in need for more than half of her life. Ms. Coffman is the founder and Executive Director of Happy Helpers for the Homeless, which will begin its 11th year of compassionate service in February 2003. Her story has been told in six books and two textbooks, including Courage is Contagious. She speaks across the country urging her audiences to use their talents in service to others. She is the recipient of a personal letter from Mother Theresa, and has a Crayola crayon named in her honor.

Clotilde Dedecker – New York

Clotilde Dedecker is President of the National Women's Hall of Fame, executive director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women and President Emeritus of the Association of Junior Leagues International. She served as co-chair of the U.S. National Committee for the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer and is a founding member of the Western New York Women’s Fund and Women’s Volunteer Roundtable. Ms. Dedecker holds a Masters Degree in Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo and resides in Buffalo with her husband and two children.

Dr. Pedro Garcia – Tennessee

Dr. Pedro Garcia currently serves as Director of schools for Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, working to improve learning among 69,000 students and 129 public schools. Dr. Garcia was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to this country in 1962 at the age of 15. He and his younger brother were part of "Operation Peter Pan," a program that evacuated children from Cuba. Arriving in the United States, he lived in a Miami camp for children without parents until his parents arrived. The family moved to Iowa where Dr. Garcia learned English and graduated from high school. He earned his B.A. in education from the University of Kansas, his M.S. in educational administration at San Diego State University, and his Ed.D from the University of Southern California.

Luis Gonzalez – Arizona

Born in Tampa, Florida, Luis Gonzalez began his Major League Baseball career in 1990 with the Houston Astros. He currently plays leftfield for the Arizona Diamondbacks and is one of the National League leaders in batting average, homeruns and RBIs. When not on the field, Gonzalez is involved in several community service organizations including the Grand Canyon State Games, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Sunshine Acres. He recently established “Kids Going Gonzo for School,” a program which rewards economically disadvantaged urban students for attendance and efforts to do well in school. Now reaching 3,000 children in more than 40 schools, the “Kids Going Gonzo for School” program also works to help place quality teachers with communities in need. He also sponsored the Arizona Quest for Kids program, which provides scholarships to Arizona youth to keep them in the state.

Wendy Kopp – New York

As a senior at Princeton University in 1989, Wendy Kopp created a plan for a new national corps called Teach For America that would mobilize the most talented members of her generation to teach for two years in the nation's neediest urban and rural public schools and then to become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of expanding educational opportunity. After graduating, Ms. Kopp made her plan a reality. Working with a group of other recent college graduates, she founded Teach For America in 1989 and continues to serve as the organization's President. Ms. Kopp also serves as Chair of the board of The New Teacher Project, a non-profit consulting group that helps school districts and states recruit and develop new teachers more effectively.

Robert Nardelli – Georgia

As Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Home Depot, Robert (Bob) L. Nardelli is at the helm of the world's largest home improvement retailer. Mr. Nardelli joined Home Depot in December 2000 and assumed operational responsibility from its co-founders who opened the first Home Depot store in 1979. Mr. Nardelli was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors effective January 1, 2002. Under Mr. Nardelli's leadership, Home Depot continues to grow with expectations to add 200 stores and 40,000 jobs in 2003. The company has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, partnering with many non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, an affordable housing provider, and KaBOOM!, an organization that builds much-needed, safe and accessible playgrounds for children in communities across the country.

Bill Novelli – Maryland

Bill Novelli is Executive Director and CEO of AARP, a membership organization of over 35 million people age 50 and older, half of whom remain actively employed. Prior to joining AARP, Mr. Novelli was President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and previously served as Executive Vice President of CARE, the world's largest private relief and development organization. Earlier, Mr. Novelli was the co-founder and was President of Porter Novelli, now one of the world's largest public relations agencies. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. from Penn's Annenberg School for Communication, and pursued doctoral studies at New York University.

Michelle Nunn - Georgia

Michelle Nunn currently serves as President of CityCares and Executive Director of Hands On Atlanta. Founded in 1992, CityCares is dedicated to unleashing the power of service through a network of 31 innovative volunteer organizations. With proven models for successful civic engagement, CityCares develops entrepreneurial strategies for bridging community resources and needs. In 2002 alone, CityCares affiliates mobilized more than 300,000 volunteers to participate in over 33,000 flexible, individual and team based service projects, totaling over 1.2 million hours served. As Executive Director of Hands On Atlanta, Michelle has taken the organization from a volunteer base of 100 to more than 25,000. Since its inception, HOA has engaged over 70,000 individuals in service/leadership opportunities, resulting in over 3.2 million hours of service to the community. Michelle graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia and received her Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Richard Parsons – Virginia

Richard D. Parsons is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Inc., whose businesses include filmed entertainment, interactive services, television networks, cable systems and publishing. He became CEO in May 2002 and Chairman of the Board in May 2003. Before becoming CEO, Mr. Parsons served as the company's Co-Chief Operating Officer, overseeing its content businesses-Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Warner Music Group and Time Warner Book Group-as well as two key corporate functions: Legal and People Development. Mr. Parsons joined Time Warner as its President in February 1995, and has been a member of the company's Board of Directors since January 1991. As President, he oversaw the company's filmed entertainment and music businesses, and all corporate staff functions, including financial activities, legal affairs, public affairs and administration. Before joining Time Warner, Mr. Parsons was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dime Bancorp, Inc., one of the largest thrift institutions in the United States. Previously, he was the managing partner of the New York law firm Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler. Prior to that, he held various positions in state and federal government, as counsel for Nelson Rockefeller and as a senior White House aide under President Gerald Ford. Mr. Parsons received his undergraduate education at the University of Hawaii and his legal training at Union University's Albany Law School. Mr. Parsons is Chairman of the Apollo Theatre Foundation, and also serves on the boards of Citigroup, Estee Lauder, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Museum of Modern Art and Howard University.

Robert Putnam – Massachusetts

Robert D. Putnam is a Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American politics, international relations, comparative politics, and public policy. He is the founder of the Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America, a program that brings together leading practitioners and thinkers for a multiyear discussion to develop broad-scale, actionable ideas to fortify the nation's civic connectedness. Before coming to Harvard in 1979, Putnam taught at the University of Michigan and served on the staff of the National Security Council. Raised in a small town in the Midwest, Putnam graduated from Swarthmore College in 1963, attended Balliol College, Oxford, and received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1970. Putnam has authored or co-authored 10 books and more than 30 scholarly works, including Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000).

Rebecca W. Rimel - Pennsylvania

Rebecca Rimel is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the nation's largest philanthropies. In 2002, the Trusts committed over $166 million to 287 nonprofit organizations. Ms. Rimel is actively involved on boards including the Deutsche Banc Flag Investors Funds and serves as Vice Chairman of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello). Additionally, Ms. Rimel is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and American Philosophical Society. Ms. Rimel is a recipient of the Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award from the University of Virginia, and UVA’s Women’s Center Distinguished Alumni Award.

Cal Ripken, Jr. – Maryland

After 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Cal Ripken retired from baseball in October 2001. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only seven players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played (2,130) and ended his streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Ripken has always placed a strong focus on giving back to the community. Most recently he joined with his family to honor his father by founding the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation that will seek to bring the joy and craft of baseball to young people who would not otherwise be provided the opportunity. Mr. Ripken is also involved with the Baltimore Reads/Ripken Learning Center, which provides literacy and educational programs for adults and families.

Cokie Roberts – Washington, D.C.

Cokie Roberts is a political commentator, observing politics for live news events and regularly scheduled ABC News broadcasts. From 1996 – September 2002 she was the co-anchor of “This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts.” In addition to her work for ABC, Ms. Roberts serves as senior news analyst for National Public Radio, where she was the congressional correspondent for more than ten years. In that time, she won numerous awards, including the highest honor in public radio, the Edward R. Murrow Award. She was also the first broadcast journalist to win the highly prestigious Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for coverage of Congress. Ms. Roberts, with her husband, Steven V. Roberts, writes a weekly newspaper column syndicated by United Media. She is also the author of two best-selling books.

Hope Taft – Ohio

Hope Taft, married to Ohio Governor Bob Taft, became First Lady of Ohio on January 11, 1999. As Ohio's First Lady, she has focused on three basic areas: mobilizing Ohio communities to promote positive youth development emphasizing drug and alcohol prevention, encouraging and recognizing volunteer service, and promoting Ohio's Bicentennial through Ohio's arts and history. She is co-founder of Ohio Parents for Drug-Free Youth, the Ohio Alcohol and Drug Policy Alliance, and Cincinnati's Citizens Against Substance Abuse. In 1999, she partnered with the Greater Canton Habitat for Humanity to volunteer and build the "House of Hope" as part of Habitat's First Ladies Build. In 2001, she partnered with Habitat to build 25 homes around the state of Ohio that has been entitled Circle of Hope. Mrs. Taft graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1966 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. She has also received numerous honors and both state and national recognition for her volunteer public service in the areas of mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment.

Julie Thomas - Texas

Julie Thomas is the Executive Director of the Volunteer Center of North Texas. The Volunteer Center functions as a volunteer clearinghouse and service provided for over 1,500 nonprofit organizations in Dallas, Tarrant and Collin Counties. Under her leadership, the Dallas Volunteer Center initiated the first criminal background checking system in Texas for volunteers and staff members in nonprofit organizations including faith based organizations. Prior to joining the Volunteer Center in February 1987, she directed the Education Department for The Greater Dallas Chamber where she helped to design and implement the Adopt-A-School Program. Ms. Thomas is an officer of the Texas Association of Volunteer Centers and a member of the Association of Volunteer Administrators. She also serves on the Junior League of Dallas Community Advisory Board, the Educational Consortium for Volunteers at the University of North Texas and Project America’s Advisory Board.

Martha Williamson – California

Martha Williamson is the executive producer and head writer for the groundbreaking CBS television series Touched By An Angel, now in its 9th season. Throughout Williamson’s 20-year career in entertainment, she has become widely respected for addressing timely issues head on with her unique brand of heartfelt, powerful storytelling. With a message of hope and responsibility, she has examined abortion, AIDS, slavery in Sudan and other human rights issues, cloning, racism, domestic violence and she assisted Secretary Colin Powell in the introduction of his mentoring program America’s Promise the Alliance for Youth. Williamson’s work has been honored with such awards as the Freedom Works Award from Congress, the Template Prize, the Edward R. Murrow Responsibility in Television Award, Anti-Defamation League’s Deborah Award and the Producers Guild Nova Award. She has become a sought after speaker, author and commentator. A native of Colorado, Williamson received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College. Her most recent book, Inviting God to your Wedding, has become a perennial favorite for engaged and married couples. Williamson commutes between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City with her husband Jon Anderson and daughter Isabel.

Steve Young – California

Steve Young is best known as the former quarterback (QB) for the San Francisco 49ers. His outstanding professional football career lasted over fifteen years before retiring in 2000. Young was honored as Super Bowl XXIX Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the NFL's MVP in 1992 and 1994. Young set NFL history by being the only QB to have won four consecutive passing titles, the only QB to post four consecutive seasons with a QB rating of above 100, and the only QB to post six consecutive 300-yard plus passing games. He was selected to participate in the Pro Bowl for seven consecutive years. In addition to his football career, Young is the founder and Chair of the Forever Young Foundation (FYF), a non-profit public charity, dedicated to the development, security, strength, and education of children. He also served as chair of Team 2002, leading a team of 27,000 volunteers at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.