2014 Awardee Profiles

Gracia C. Martore is President and Chief Executive Officer of Gannett Co., Inc.  Ms. Martore joined Gannett in 1985 as Assistant Treasurer.  She became a Vice President in the Treasury group in 1993 and added investor-relations duties in 1995.  Ms. Martore was named Treasurer and Vice President of Investor Relations in 1998.  She was promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance in addition to her Treasurer’s responsibilities in 2001.

Ms. Martore became Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2003, and joined Gannett’s Management Committee.  In 2005, she became Executive Vice President and CFO.  Ms. Martore was named President and Chief Operating Officer in 2010, and President and Chief Executive Officer in 2011.  Prior to joining Gannett, she worked for 12 years in the banking industry.

Ms. Martore has been named one of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” by Fortune magazine, “100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes magazine, and “Washington’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Washingtonian magazine.  Institutional Investor magazine ranked her “Best CFO in America” in the publishing and advertising agencies category for three years in a row (2004, 2005, and 2006).  The Washington Post named Ms. Martore one of the top 10 female executives at major companies in the Washington region.  Virginia Business magazine named her “CFO of the Year” in 2006.

Ms. Martore graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in history and political science, and was honored as a Wellesley Scholar for academic excellence.

Senator Chris Dodd is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., which serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture industry around the world.

For 36 years, Senator Dodd represented Connecticut in the U.S. Congress.  As the state’s longest serving member, he was recognized as one of the most widely respected legislators in Congress, earning the trust of both Republicans and Democrats.  A key participant in nearly every major national policy debate over the last three decades, Senator Dodd is perhaps best known for authoring or co-authoring the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993; the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; the Help America Vote Act; and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Senator Dodd served as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is a recognized expert on Latin America.  He interacted extensively with leaders throughout Europe, Asia, Canada, and Latin America, and served as Co-Chair of the Unite States–India Senate Caucus.

Appointed in 2011 to represent one of America’s most creative and storied industries, Senator Dodd has made it his highest priority to champion the creative freedoms of filmmakers by safeguarding intellectual property rights, advancing technology-driven innovation, and opening global markets to the uniquely powerful medium of film.  Dedicated to freedom of expression in its many forms, Senator Dodd has served as this year’s Chairman of the Free Speech Week Advisory Council.