US Secretary Alex Azar II Named 2020 Person of the Year

NEW YORK - Jan. 5, 2021 - PRLog -- January 2^nd is National Motivation & Inspiration Day®, as established by The United States Congress after the tragic events of 9-11-01. A day dedicated to establishing personal goals, not just "New Year's Resolutions" and developing the skills and motivations to achieve those goals.

It is also a day to celebrate "motivational, inspirational and patriotic Americans!" People that are leading by example and doing great things in America. The award ceremony is The American Motivation Awards®.

America's CMO – Chief Motivation Officer, Kevin L. McCrudden is the founder of both, National Motivation & Inspiration Day® and The American Motivation Awards®.

"Much like 2001 and the aftermath of 9-11-01, 2020 has been a challenging time in America.  So many people have been lost and so many people are suffering from anxiety and depression from the watching the seemingly endless negativity. People are concerned about the elderly members of their family and those at risk of catching COVID19," says McCrudden.

He continued, "However, much like 9-11-01, 2020 has positive things to celebrate.  Human beings are so resilient and are constantly a source of inspiration, because of their dedication, perseverance and creativity. The American Motivation Awards were created to honor motivational, inspirational and patriotic Americans. Well, 2020 has created opportunities to honor great Americans that are doing amazing things that are motivational, inspirational and patriotic."

2020 Person of the Year - Secretary of Health & Human Services -  Alex M. Azar II

The Secretary was given the award on behalf of all health care workers in America. As the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex M. Azar II is essentially the number one "healthcare worker" in America and responsible for all health related decisions in America. While Dr. Anthony Fauci has received most of the attention, Secretary Azar is responsible for implementing all health care strategies and in 2020, the year of the COVID19 global pandemic he faced the greatest healthcare crisis in a century.

Due to the release of the COVID19 vaccine, Secretary Azar was not available to attend the American Motivation Awards virtually, and we are awaiting a comment from his staff. He is in possession of the American Motivation Award as 2020 Person of the Year. (Shown, attached.)

"While most of the news coverage about COVID19 and the Trump Administration's response to it has been negative, the response by Secretary Azar, his staff and the American healthcare and frontline workers cannot be denied. The nonstop work that has gone into responding to this global healthcare crisis has been extraordinary," says McCrudden.

He continued, "the Spanish Flu lasted 2 full years from 1918 to 1920 without a vaccine and 1 in 3 people, or 30% of people caught the Spanish Flu. COVID19 as of December 31, 2020 has infected less than 1% of the total population of the world and less than 5% of Americans. We have 5 times as many people on the planet (1.5 billion vs. 7.6 billion) that are much closer together and we were able to manage the spread that well?  And manufacture and distribute a vaccine in record time, in less than 7 months, those are amazing, unbelievable accomplishments… worthy of acknowledgement."

Secretary Azar was acknowledged as the recipient for his work and on behalf of all healthcare workers of America.

American Motivation Award for Lifetime Achievement.

There were two recipients for the Lifetime Achievement Award. World renowned speaker and #1 Sirius XM Radio Host Dr. Willie Jolley; and Dr. Tony Alessandra, a Hall of Fame Business and Sales Speaker and CEO of Assessments 24x7 LLC one of the top sales and management assessment tools used in America today.

Dr. Willie Jolley, CSP, CPAE – Lifetime Achievement

Dr. Jolley is a Hall of Fame Speaker; Best Selling Author; Award Winning Singer and Host of the #1 Motivation and Inspiration Show on Sirius XM Radio!

He has been called "the most powerful speaker, singer and author combination in the world today!"

Dr. Jolley has achieved remarkable heights in the speaking industry, having come from humble beginnings as a fired singer, who was replaced by a karaoke machine!

He has gone on to be named "One of the Outstanding Five Speakers in the World" by the 175,000 members of Toastmasters International, Only 50 speakers worldwide have been given that honor - including Colin Powell, Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher!

Jolley has been inducted into the National Speaker Association Speaker Hall of Fame; recipient of the Ron Brown Distinguished Leadership Award; named "One of the Top 5 Leadership Speakers" by Speaking.com; and Business Leader of The Year by The African American Chamber of Commerce.

"Over the last 30 years I have been blessed to be able to speak to millions of people trying to motivate and inspire them to Rise Above Their Circumstances and Make The Most of Their GOD Given abilities. I am honored to be recognized by my friend Kevin L. McCrudden to be the recipient of this prestigious American Motivation Award. It is truly a great honor!" says Dr. Jolley.

Dr. Jolley holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Faith-Driven Achievement, a master's degree in Theology from Wesley Theological Seminary and a B.A. in Psychology & Sociology from The American University.

"Willie Jolley has become synonymous with 'Motivational Speaker,'" says American Motivation Award Founder, Kevin L. McCrudden. "Willie's amazing energy and voice resonate with people and uplift them. His passion for making a difference in the world and in people's lives is evident and to do it for as long as he has, all over the world is more than worthy of celebrating!" said McCrudden

Dr. Tony Alessandra – Lifetime Achievement

Dr. Alessandra was raised in the housing projects of NYC, to become a graduate professor of marketing, Internet entrepreneur, business author, and hall-of-fame keynote speaker.

He earned a BBA degree from Notre Dame; an MBA from the University of Connecticut and his PhD from Georgia State University.

Alessandra is also a prolific author with 30 books translated into over 50 foreign language editions. He was inducted into the NSA Speakers Hall of Fame in 1985 and recognized as one of the "Legends of the Speaking Profession" in 2009. In 2012, Tony was voted the #1 World's Top Communication Guru and recognized by Meetings & Conventions Magazine as "one of America's most electrifying speakers."

"Tony's accomplishments are a lengthy list that would take a while to name, and yet, you would never know it. He has maintained his humble origins and treats everyone like a friend or colleague.  He is truly an amazing human being and his accomplishments in the personal and professional development space are amazing," says McCrudden.

Dr. Alessandra was supposed to receive the American Motivation Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2016, but due to a personal crisis in Mr. McCrudden's life, the award was delayed until this year!

SFC Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester – Patriot Award

Sergeant Hester is a soldier with the United States Army National Guard assigned to the 617th Military Police Company, a Kentucky Army National Guard unit out of Richmond, Kentucky.

Hester received the Silver Star for her heroic actions in 2005 during an enemy ambush on a supply convoy near the town of Salman Pak, Iraq.

While this award and the events took place in 2005, Sergeant Hester's actions have become more widely known and celebrated.

Sergeant Hester is the first female U.S. Army soldier to receive the Silver Star since World War II and the first ever to be cited for valor in close quarters combat.

Hester's military police squad were shadowing a 30-truck supply convoy when approximately 50 insurgent fighters ambushed the convoy with AK-47, RPK machine gun fire, and rocket propelled grenades (RPG).  During the 25-minute firefight, Hester killed 3 insurgents. When the battle was over, 27 insurgents were dead, six were wounded, and one captured.

"Like so many of our military heroes, Sergeant Hester maintains a humble respect for her role in the military and does not like the attention that her heroics have brought her. We have had the distinct pleasure of honoring some amazing military heroes, like, The Tuskegee Airmen, Pat Tillman, Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, Hon. John L. Behan and now Sergeant Hester. We have been honoring our military heroes with the Patriot Award since 2008," said McCrudden

Sergeant Hester is currently deployed and did not provide comment or attend the award ceremony virtually.

Kevin L. McCrudden is the founder of both National Motivation & Inspiration Day® and The American Motivation Awards®, which have been held sporadically since 2008. The first Patriot Award was given to Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy in an emotional ceremony on Long Island, NY.

"I created the American Motivation Awards® to honor motivational, inspirational and patriotic leaders in America," said McCrudden. "They were intended to go in conjunction with National Motivation & Inspiration Day® on January 2^nd of every year, which I had passed by The United States Congress and New York State after the tragic events of 9-11-01. I have been working to have a major network embrace the American Motivation Awards as an annual award ceremony, instead, one of the networks just took the idea and renamed the awards after my Patriot Award. However, in the spirit of motivation and inspiration, we continue to persevere and honor these amazing people that continue to give back to society and make the world a better place," stated McCrudden.