Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to lead the U.S. House as speaker, is being honored in Boston with a lifetime achievement award named for Edward M. Kennedy, according to NBC Boston. The recognition is part of the Kennedy Institute’s 2026 annual dinner.
Pelosi is the second recipient of the Edward M. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award. Former President Joe Biden received the inaugural honor in 2025, NBC Boston reported. The institute describes the award as recognizing leadership and service.
The selection brings a former leader of the House to a Boston event organized by an institute focused on the U.S. Senate. Pelosi’s recognition follows two separate milestones in her speakership: her historic first election to the position in 2007 and her election again in January 2019.
NBC Boston’s report identifies the annual dinner as the setting for the presentation. Its account centers on the award, the institute’s stated purpose for it and Pelosi’s place in congressional history, with a local high school student also included among the evening’s featured speakers.
A second recipient
The award’s recipient history begins with Biden in 2025. Pelosi’s selection for the 2026 dinner makes her the next honoree, rather than a recipient of a long-running distinction with many predecessors. The two selections place a former president and a former House speaker in the award’s first two spots.
The institute’s description of the honor emphasizes leadership alongside service, according to NBC Boston. The report does not identify a single legislative action as the basis for Pelosi’s selection; it presents the recognition as a lifetime achievement honor.
For the Boston gathering, that recognition is the central distinction being presented to Pelosi. The award bears Kennedy’s name, while the annual dinner is held by the institute named for him and dedicated to the Senate.
Milestones in House leadership
Pelosi became speaker in 2007, breaking a barrier as the first woman in that office. NBC Boston highlighted that milestone in its account of the Boston honor. Her election again in January 2019 marked a separate return to the House’s top leadership role.
Those dates outline the two speakership milestones cited in the report. The 2007 election established her historic place as the first female speaker; the January 2019 election brought her back to the position. She is identified in the award announcement coverage as a former speaker.
The dinner’s program also includes a senior from North Andover High School among its featured speakers, NBC Boston reported. That participation adds a Massachusetts school connection to an evening recognizing a national political figure. The student’s appearance is part of the same annual gathering at which the institute is honoring Pelosi as its second lifetime achievement recipient.
