John Boyer, SPA/PhD ’89

John Boyer, SPA/PhD ’89, a member of the SPA Dean’s Council, will receive the prestigious "Ripple of Hope" award at the RFK Center’s annual gala in New York on Wednesday, December 11. The award lauds leaders of the international business, entertainment and activist communities who demonstrate commitment to social change. Honorees reflect Robert Kennedy’s passion for equality, justice, basic human rights and his belief that we all must strive to “make gentle the life of this world.”

Dr. Boyer is receiving the award for his extraordinary contributions as a lifelong health care advocate and philanthropist. The two other recipients of the 2013 award are Muhammad Yunus, economic empowerment visionary and founder of the Crameen Bank, and Niclas Kjellstrom-Matseke, a pioneer of market-driven charity and head of the Swedish Postcode Lottery. Past recipients include President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, George Clooney, Bono and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Since 1995, Dr. Boyer has played a critical role in leading and growing the health services business at MAXIMUS, and currently serves as board chair of both MAXIMUS Foundation and MAXIMUS Federal Services. Prior to joining MAXIMUS, Dr. Boyer served as Director of Health Services Financing Policy for the U.S. Department of Defense and served for 24 years with the U.S. Navy Medicine. Dr. Boyer is involved with a number of philanthropic organizations, including Heath eVillages, a program of the RFK Center that provides state-of-the-art mobile heath technology to the most challenging clinical environments around the world.