NEW YORK, March 15, 2010 — The American Irish Historical Society (AIHS) today named BNY Mellon Chairman and CEO Robert P. Kelly its 2010 Gold Medal recipient.

The Society's highest honor, the Gold Medal, is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to Irish American life. The 2010 Gold Medal will be presented to Mr. Kelly during the organization's 113th Annual Dinner on Thursday, November 4, at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

Previous AIHS Gold Medal honorees include: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan; Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; Cardinal John O'Connor of New York; musician Bono; actor Liam Neeson; Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman of the American Ireland Fund; Author Mary Higgins Clark; Sir Anthony O'Reilly, former Chairman of H. J. Heinz Company; Donald Keough, former President and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company and Chairman Emeritus of Notre Dame's Board of Trustees; and Declan Kelly, economic envoy to Northern Ireland and former Chairman and CEO of Financial Dynamics.

Mr. Kelly leads BNY Mellon, the world's largest asset management and securities servicing company, with 43,000 employees in 34 countries. BNY Mellon has $22.3 trillion in assets under custody and administration, $1.1 trillion in assets under management, services $12 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.6 trillion per day.  The firm provides an array of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, providing superior asset management and wealth management, asset servicing, issuer services, clearing services and treasury services through a worldwide client-focused team.

"Bob has an outstanding reputation for successfully leading one of the most vital financial institutions in the world," said Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., President-General of the American Irish Historical Society. "Lesser known is Bob's dedication to improving the communities in which his employees live and work."

In the two years since BNY Mellon established its global Community Partnership Program for year-round employee team volunteering and fundraising, its employees volunteered 45,000-plus hours through 1,110 employee teams, helping some 3,000 nonprofit organizations. All together, employee pledges and fundraising, and corporate contributions have exceeded $26 million dollars through these efforts.

"I'm honored to accept this award and thrilled to be considered in the company of the previous Gold Medal winners," said Mr. Kelly. "Their collective accomplishments are a source of tremendous inspiration and set a high bar for us all to aspire to."

Respected and admired by his peers, Mr. Kelly serves as chairman of the Financial Services Roundtable, treasurer of the Financial Services Forum and is a Federal Advisory Committee Member of the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Kelly is involved in numerous philanthropic and educational organizations. He is a board member of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and a Carnegie Mellon University trustee. Mr. Kelly's middle name, Patrick, honors both his Irish ancestry and his March 17 birthday, also known as St. Patrick's Day. His great, great grandfather, Edward, who was born to William Kelly and Ann Connell in 1817 in Waterford County, Ireland, eventually emigrated to Nova Scotia.

The 2010 Gold Medal dinner committee has been formed under the leadership of Brian A. Ruane, EVP of BNY Mellon. To purchase a table or individual tickets for the Society's Annual Dinner, please contact Christopher Cahill, Lindsay Wengler, or Meaghan Doherty at 212.288.2263 or by emailing aihs@aihs.org.

About the American Irish Historical Society

Founded in 1897, the AIHS is an international center of scholarship, education and cultural enrichment dedicated to promoting the significant, on-going contributions to the United States of America made by Irish immigrants and their descendants.

The Society maintains an extensive collection of Irish and American Irish books, newspapers, archives and memorabilia in its landmark headquarters on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile. Its highly acclaimed literary journal, The Recorder, chronicles the surging creativity of Irish writers on both sides of the Atlantic.

A center of the contemporary American Irish experience, the organization sponsors public programs to explore current issues and celebrates the renaissance in Irish culture from its weekly lectures, visual art exhibits and concerts. The Society has been, from its inception, both non-partisan and non-sectarian.