NDI Chairman and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright will be awarded the 2012 Predential Medal of Freedom, President Barack Obama announced. The Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, is presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Albright is one of the 13 people selected to receive the medal this year. The awards will be presented at the White House in late spring.