The Center for National Policy was founded in 1981. Peter Kovler, director of the Marjorie Kovler Fund, serves as chairman of the center, succeeding Leon Panetta, CNP's national advisory board chair and former White House Chief of Staff.
Previous presidents and chairmen of CNP include the U.S. ambassador to India and former six-term member of Congress, Tim Roemer, and three former U.S. Secretaries of State: Madeleine Albright, Edmund Muskie, and Cyrus Vance. Other CNP Board members have included former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Thomas Foley, former Republican members of Congress Jack Buechner and Rod Chandler, and former Democratic members of Congress John Brademas and Michael Barnes.
Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award
The Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award honors the late Edmund Muskie (1914–1996), who served the U.S. in the Navy, as governor of Maine, as U.S. senator and as U.S. Secretary of State. Following his retirement from government service, Ed Muskie chaired the CNP board. Since 1996, the Muskie Award has been presented at an annual event honoring the recipients’ contributions to the country. Recipients included:[undue weight?–discuss]