Former Secretary of Defense, NASA astronaut to be honored at College of Human Sciences’ 32nd annual International Quality of Life Awards in Washington, D.C.

Honoring individuals and partnerships whose vision and leadership have made a profound global impact on quality of life is at the core of the College of Human Sciences’ annual International Quality of Life Awards (IQLA). For the first time in its 32-year history, this prestigious event will take place in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 8. This year’s celebration will blend the significance of an iconic city with an awards program dedicated to advancing well-being and improving quality of life around the world.

This year’s IQLA celebration will take place in one of Washington, D.C.’s most storied landmarks the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. (Photo courtesy of the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium).

The 2025 IQLA will recognize two extraordinary individuals whose leadership and impact have transformed lives around the world. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will receive the IQLA Laureate Award, and former NASA astronaut and Auburn alumna Jan Davis will be honored with the IQLA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Set against the distinguished backdrop of the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue, this year’s celebration will take place in one of the city's most storied landmarks — a neoclassical masterpiece built nearly a century ago and host to some of the most significant moments in American and global history.

“For more than three decades, the International Quality of Life Awards have honored visionary leaders making a lasting difference in our world, and we are thrilled to bring this celebration to our nation’s capital for the first time,” said Susan Hubbard, dean of the College of Human Sciences. “With a strong alumni base in Washington, D.C., it is especially fitting that we gather here to recognize the remarkable achievements of this year’s honorees. We look forward to celebrating together in a city that represents leadership, service and global impact.”

It is especially meaningful that Gates will receive the Laureate honor in the capital city, where a defining chapter of his career was spent serving as the 22nd Secretary of Defense under both Republican and Democratic presidents — navigating some of the nation’s most critical security challenges with integrity and collaboration across political perspectives.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will receive the 2025 IQLA Laureate Award.

Gates served eight presidents across both parties and has the distinction of being the only defense secretary in U.S. history to be asked to remain in office by a newly elected president. On Gates’ last day in office, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.

He began his career at the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 and spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional, including nine years on the National Security Council. He was the first career officer in CIA’s history to rise from entry-level employee to director. He served as CIA director from 1991-93 and, through the collapse of the Soviet Union, restructured the intelligence community for a post-Cold War world.

Gates later served as president of Texas A&M University with a focus on bringing the uniiversity into prominence as a top research institution.

Being honored as the IQLA Laureate recipient will add to Gates’ impressive list of accolades that includes being awarded the National Security Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, a three-time recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and a three-time recipient of the CIA’s highest award, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.

Former NASA astronaut and Auburn alumna Jan Davis will be honored with the 2025 IQLA Lifetime Achievement Award.

The IQLA Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor reserved for outstanding individuals who have achieved success in their chosen professions and brought honor to Auburn University and/or the state of Alabama.

Davis, a 1977 alumna of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and former NASA astronaut, has inspired generations through her remarkable career in space exploration and leadership. Over more than a decade at NASA, she served as a mission specialist on three space shuttle flights, spending more than 673 hours in space. Her pioneering work as an astronaut, engineer and later as an executive helped advance both the frontiers of exploration and the culture of safety within NASA.

Her accolades include being a member of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2002, she was given the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive. Additionally, she has received NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal, Space Medal and Outstanding Leadership Medal.

Beyond her distinguished NASA career, Davis is an accomplished author. Her first book, "Air Born: Two Generations in Flight," chronicles the remarkable parallel journeys of her own career and her father’s service as a World War II B-17 pilot who was shot down over Holland in 1943 and held as a prisoner of war. She later published a companion book that features her father’s war log and cartoon sketches written and created during his time as a POW.

Now a consultant and speaker, Davis enjoys working with her non-profit organization, AstraFemina, to encourage girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Included among the notable past IQLA laureates and lifetime achievement honorees over the years are Habitat for Humanity International cofounder Millard D. Fuller; FEED founder and CEO Lauren Bush Lauren; Congressman John Lewis; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug and, most recently, Olympic great Scott Hamilton and fashion icon Billy Reid. Gates and Davis will soon join this distinguished group of honorees.

The black-tie International Quality of Life Awards gala is attended by guests from across the country, members of Auburn University leadership, as well as selected Auburn students as part of the IQLA Study Tour. The gala will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the awards ceremony in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 8.