Speaker Highlights

Rudy Giuliani

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York City, was born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. As the grandson of Italian immigrants, he was taught the value of a strong work ethic and a deep respect for America's ideal of equal opportunity. He attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, Manhattan College, and New York University Law School.

After joining the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Rudy Giuliani rose quickly through the ranks, becoming the Chief of the Narcotics Unit at age 29.

After the inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1981, Giuliani was named Associate Attorney General, the third highest position in the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1983, President Reagan appointed Rudy Giuliani as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Giuliani spearheaded successful efforts against organized crime, white-collar criminals, drug dealers and corrupt elected officials. Few U.S. Attorneys in history can match his record of 4,152 convictions with only 25 reversals.

In 1993, Rudy Giuliani was elected Mayor of the City of New York. Campaigning on the slogan "One City, One Standard," he focused on reducing crime, reforming welfare, and improving the quality of life. In 1997, he was re-elected with 57% of the vote in a city in which Democrats outnumbered Republicans five to one.

Under Mayor Giuliani's leadership, overall crime was cut by 56%, murder was cut by 66%, and New York City - once considered the crime capital of the country - became the safest large city in America according to the FBI. New York City's law enforcement strategy has become a model for other cities around the world. This is particularly true of the CompStat statistical accountability program, which won the 1996 Innovations in Government Award from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

When Mayor Giuliani took office, one of every seven New Yorkers was on welfare. Mayor Giuliani implemented the largest and most successful welfare-to-work initiative in the country, turning welfare offices into Job Centers and reduced welfare rolls by 640,000 - nearly 60%.

On September 11, 2001, America suffered the worst attack in its history when terrorists crashed planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Thousands of New Yorkers were killed, including hundreds of members of the city's uniformed services, who rushed to the scene to lead the heroic rescue of tens of thousands of people. Having narrowly missed being crushed when the Towers fell, Mayor Giuliani immediately began leading the recovery of the city as it faced its darkest hour. Mayor Giuliani was widely lauded for his steady hand during challenging times. He was named "Person of the Year" by TIME magazine, knighted by the Queen of England, dubbed "Rudy the Rock" by French President Jacques Chirac, and former first lady Nancy Reagan presented him with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award.

Limited by New York City law to two terms as mayor, Rudy Giuliani founded Giuliani Partners in January, 2002, quickly establishing the professional services firm as a leader in emergency preparedness, public safety, leadership during crises, and financial management. Drawing on his experience in turning a city described as ungovernable into a city that is now a worldwide example of good government and effective management, Giuliani was recognized in Spring 2002 as "Consultant of the Year" by Consulting magazine. Mayor Giuliani is also a Partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP. Bracewell & Giuliani is a major international law firm with over 400 lawyers, serving mainly clients in the energy and financial service industries.

In May of 2003, Mr. Giuliani married Judith S. Nathan, who was at the time a Managing Director of Changing Our World, Inc., a national fundraising and philanthropic services company headquartered in New York. Prior to joining Changing Our World, Mrs. Giuliani, a registered nurse with an extensive medical and scientific background, worked with U. S. Surgical Corporation and Bristol-Myers Squibb. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Mrs. Giuliani helped coordinate the efforts of the Family Assistance Center at Pier 94. Judith was a Founding Member of the Board of Trustees of the Twin Towers Fund, which raised and distributed $216,000,000 to over 600 recipients. Mrs. Giuliani also served as the Executive Director of the Campaign for Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in New York, which, focuses on emergency preparedness in the City of New York.

Mayor Giuliani recently ran for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. During his campaign, he galvanized the national debate on such critical issues as national security, education, energy independence, healthcare, and the economy. The policy commitments Mayor Giuliani made to the American people remain vitally important to America's future.