Richard Carmona

Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, was sworn in as the 17th Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service on August 5, 2002. Prior to being named Surgeon General, Dr. Carmona was the chairman of the State of Arizona Southern Regional Emergency Medical System, a professor of surgery, public health and family and community medicine at the University of Arizona, and the Pima County Sheriff's Department surgeon and deputy sheriff. Dr. Carmona has also held progressive positions of responsibility as chief medical officer, hospital chief executive officer, public health officer, and finally chief executive officer of the Pima county health care system. He has also served as a medical director of police and fire departments and is a fully-qualified peace officer with expertise in special operations and emergency preparedness, including weapons of mass destruction. Dr. Carmona has published extensively and received numerous awards, decorations, and local and national recognition for his achievements. A strong supporter of community service, he has served on community and national boards and provided leadership to many diverse organizations.

Loretta Claiborne

Special Olympics International Board Member and Special Olympics athlete Loretta Claiborne is a world-class competitor and one of the most inspirational and remarkable women of our time. Claiborne was born into a large, poor, single-parent family. Partially blind, unable to walk or talk until the age of four, Claiborne faced ridicule for her intellectual disability while growing up. The discovery of her own running ability and Special Olympics changed her life.Today, Claiborne is one of the most accomplished and celebrated of all Special Olympics athletes. Claiborne has competed in more than 26 marathons, finishing with the fastest 25 women runners in the Pittsburgh Marathon and twice with the top-100 women runners in the Boston Marathon. Outside of Special Olympics, Claiborne holds a fourth-degree black belt in karate, communicates in four languages, including sign language, and holds an honorary doctorate degree from Quinnipiac University and Villanova University, the first person with an intellectual disability known have been conferred with such academic recognitions. In 1996 she appeared on ESPN's "ESPY" Awards show, receiving the coveted Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. "If I could take this award and break it up into a million pieces," Claiborne said in her acceptance speech, "I would like to do that and split it with every Special Olympics athlete."

Rick Rader

Rick Rader, M.D., is the Director of the Morton J. Kent Habilitation Center at Orange Grove in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is the Editor in chief of Exceptional Parent Magazine, the world's most highly respected magazine devoted to parents and professionals raising and supporting individuals with significant and complex disabilities. Under his tutelage the magazine has won innumerable prestigious awards for editorial excellence. Dr. Rader is also the President elect of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry and a Fellow of the American Association on Mental Retardation. He was the first appointed Special Liaison for Family Healthcare Concerns at the Presidents Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Dr. Rader is a past recipient of the Exceptional Physician of the Year Award granted by parents of children with special needs. He has authored over 50 articles on neurodevelopmental disabilities and has lectured extensively all over the world on the dynamics of the special needs community. He serves as a medical consultant to Special Olympics.