The Furman University Alumni Awards Luncheon occurred on October 22, 2021 over Homecoming Weekend. One of the awards honored during that ceremony was the Tom A. Triplitt Outstanding Young Alumni Award to Jason Terrell \u201912.<\/p>\n
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award is named for Tom A. Triplitt \u201976, who exhibited extraordinary service to Furman during his 12 years as alumni director. It recognizes an individual who has graduated within the past 20 years and who has brought honor or recognition to Furman through individual accomplishments or as a volunteer.<\/p>\n
Jason Terrell \u201812 began his professional journey as an 8th grade teacher. In the classroom, he served as a mentor, athletic coach and tutor and was deeply invested in his students\u2019 pursuit of academic and personal success. In 2015, he co-founded and became executive director of Profound Gentlemen, one of the leading organizations supporting the recruitment and retention of male educators of color. Profound Gentlemen\u2019s programs and initiatives impact male educators and students of color in and out of the classroom by partnering with schools, districts and universities that are committed to providing all students access to teachers who reflect their background, stories and identities. Terrell is a recipient of a 2015 Echoing Green fellowship, which is given to transformational leaders. In 2017, Profound Gentlemen won the $20,000 grand prize at Charlotte, North Carolina-based Social Venture Partner\u2019s SEED20 event. Also in 2017, Terrell and his co-founder, Mario Jovan Shaw, were recognized by Forbes in the magazine\u2019s \u201c30 Under 30\u201d list as social innovators working to bring about change and equal opportunity for boys and male educators of color. Terrell\u2019s legacy lives on at Profound Gentlemen while he now serves as the education program officer at the Walton Family Foundation, supporting community-demanded, community-designed and community-driven educational change across the country.<\/p>\n
Terrell holds a B.A. in both politics and international affairs and philosophy from Furman, an M.S. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University. He is married to Furman alumna Casey \u201914 (Evans), and in his spare time enjoys being with his son, listening to music and boxing.<\/p>\n