Timothy Shriver

Over the past several years, Timothy Shriver, a nonprofit leader and chair of the Special Olympics, has been dedicated to restoring dignity to the national conversation.

As CEO and founder of UNITE, Shriver, along with Tom Rosshirt and Tami Pyfer, created the Dignity Index, a tool that scores political speech along a continuum ranging from dignity to contempt. The index helps political leaders and citizens rethink the language they use to describe people with different views.

UNITE works with political leaders, school districts, colleges and universities, businesses and others to help ease divisions, prevent violence, and solve problems. Earlier this year, the nonprofit partnered with the University of Utah to promote the study, teaching and practice of dignity. UNITE and the university previously worked together in 2022, to score the political speech in Utah’s midterm congressional races.

Shriver draws his insights from an extensive career in public service, which includes serving as CEO of the Special Olympics, working as a public school teacher, and producing numerous films. He co-founded and chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, sits on the boards of numerous organizations, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of a bestselling book about his experiences, “Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most.”

Shriver regularly appears on television shows and podcasts, and gives speeches and writes about the importance of restoring dignity in civic life. In November 2024, he wrote an opinion piece for Newsweek urging Americans to reject contempt in the wake of the presidential election.

A nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy and U.S. senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, Shriver is the son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics, and Sargent Shriver, a one-time vice presidential candidate who served as a U.S. ambassador to France and helped found the Peace Corps.