Farooq Kathwari receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor

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Indian American Farooq Kathwari, the chairman, president and CEO of Ethan Allen, was awarded 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 12 at a gala celebration at Ellis Island.

“It is an honor for me to receive this esteemed award. I am a proud American by choice, a citizen of a country that offers equality and freedom of expression. I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to use what I have learned for the benefit of others,” Kathwari said in a press release.

Kathwari is a member of the Board of Overseers of the International Rescue Committee, the advisory board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, chairman emeritus of Refugees International, an advisory member of the New York Stock Exchange, co-chairman of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, a director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University and a member of the International Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace.

He helped found the Kashmir Study Group and served as a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from 2010 to 2014.

Kathwari has received the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal and the National Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee and has been recognized as an Outstanding American by Choice by the U.S. government, as well as by Worth magazine as one of the 50 Best CEOs in the United States.

Kathwari has Bachelor degrees in English Literature and Political Science from Kashmir University in Srinagar and an MBA in International Marketing from New York University, according to his website.

According to a press release, Ellis Island Medal of Honor is presented by the Ellis Island Foundation and recognizes “a select group of individuals whose accomplishments in their field and inspired service to our nation are cause for celebration… The Ellis Island Medals of Honor embody the spirit of America in their salute to tolerance, brotherhood, diversity and patriotism. Honorees may be native-born or naturalized, but most importantly, they are individuals who have made it their mission to share their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage, boundless compassion, unique talents, and selfless generosity with those less fortunate.”