Jack Wood Award Recipients for 2026
Business/Nonprofit Category:
The Fairfax League of Women Voters’ Arina Van Breda has been a steadfast partner in strengthening voter engagement across the George Mason University community. Arina serves as a trusted resource on voter registration and election rules, offering training and guidance to students, faculty, and staff. She also plays a pivotal role in maintaining strong connections with the Fairfax County and City of Fairfax offices of elections.
Her commitment to student participation is unmistakable. From attending Mason’s Convocation to register new students to hand-delivering last-minute forms to ensure voting rights are protected, Arina consistently goes above and beyond to support the university’s civic engagement efforts.
Arina has also helped reestablish the League of Women Voters chapter on campus, providing materials, mentorship, and support to student leaders. Through her leadership and the League’s collaboration with Mason Votes, George Mason students have greater access to voter education, registration, and meaningful participation in the democratic process.
Faculty/Staff Category:
Becky Howick has played a pivotal role in strengthening the partnership between the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Costello College of Business and the Fairfax City Economic Development Authority (EDA). She has developed meaningful ways for the university to amplify the EDA’s business development efforts while creating experiential learning opportunities for students. A signature example of her leadership is The Depot, a collaborative initiative that brings together George Mason, local businesses, and the EDA to provide students with hands‑on exposure to small‑business operations—experiences made possible through Becky’s vision and dedication.
Beyond her direct work with students, Becky has deepened CIE’s role as the EDA’s most engaged and reliable university partner. She has secured multiple grants to support initiatives that connect George Mason to the City of Fairfax, linked faculty with city stakeholders to advance retail revitalization efforts, and elevated the Patriot Pitch program by bringing the City and the EDA in as sponsors, judges, and mentors. She also plays a key role in sustaining George Mason’s relationship with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, aligning innovative program ideas with donor priorities to support high‑impact initiatives across the region.
Much of Becky’s success stems from the detailed and often invisible work she takes on behind the scenes. Colleagues describe her as both the public face and the quiet force behind major initiatives, managing complex cross‑agency coordination, communication, and documentation—often without a team and in the absence of an executive director. She consistently stewards resources wisely, ensuring that funds remain focused on student learning and community impact. Her integrity, humility, and unwavering commitment to doing what is right for students and partners alike make her an exceptional leader and collaborator.
Student Category:
Iman Chaudry and Mason Consulting Group launched and expanded a formal partnership with Fairfax City Economic Development to strengthen the relationship between George Mason University and the City of Fairfax. This student-led initiative connects Mason students with local businesses to provide pro bono consulting services, offering meaningful experiential learning opportunities outside of academic credit.
Through this collaboration, consulting teams work with small businesses on real-world challenges such as digital marketing, website improvements, market research, and operational growth. In partnership with city officials, Mason Consulting Group helped design the client intake process, define scopes of work, and implement structured check-ins to ensure each project delivers measurable value to participating business owners.
By intentionally building a structured, ongoing collaboration between George Mason, city leadership, and the local business community, this initiative benefits all stakeholders. Students gain hands-on professional experience, local businesses receive high-quality, data-driven recommendations, and the City of Fairfax gains a sustainable model for leveraging Mason’s talent to support its small business ecosystem.
Partnership Category:
George Mason’s New Student and Family Programs, Contemporary Student Services, and the Old Town Fairfax Business Association joined forces to launch the inaugural Coffee Shop Crawl, an initiative designed to help contemporary students discover welcoming spaces beyond the classroom. For the 80% of contemporary students who make up George Mason’s student population, the program addressed a longstanding challenge: ensuring students know where they can study, decompress, and build community when they are not in class.
Drawing on their complementary strengths, the team transformed this challenge into a model of authentic town‑gown collaboration. Tina contributed deep knowledge of Old Town Fairfax businesses and community dynamics, while Caroline and Maria brought insight into student needs and program logistics. Together, they created a joyful, practical experience that introduced students to four local coffee shops, each of which reserved space, offered samples, and helped foster a sense of belonging. Students completed the crawl with a map of neighborhood destinations and a Mason‑branded travel mug—a small but meaningful symbol of connection to both the university and the city.
Although the Coffee Shop Crawl has taken place only once, its early success has sparked momentum for future efforts. The relationships forged among the university, the city, and local business owners have laid the foundation for a sustainable model of community engagement.
Innovation Category:
Iulia Fratila of the College of Public Health and Jesse Van Wick of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities (RPCA) partnered to develop a project to enhance Ben Brenman Park. As a 2025 Virginia Walkability Action Institute cohort member, Fratila secured a $9,000 grant to support built‑environment improvements that encourage physical activity and expand community access to fitness.
Together, they designed a community‑driven process that included a citywide survey, on‑site outreach at the park’s farmers market, and collaborative planning with RPCA staff. Their efforts generated more than 400 resident responses, with community members identifying priorities such as planting native trees and installing adult fitness equipment.
These enhancements are scheduled for implementation in spring 2026, marking a meaningful step toward a more active, connected, and health‑supportive community.
Legacy Category:
For more than four decades, Lovey Hammel has exemplified high-impact town-gown leadership that has strengthened the relationship between George Mason University and the Northern Virginia community. As president and co-founder of Employment Enterprises, Inc., she has translated business insight into partnerships that expand opportunity for students, employers, and residents. Her leadership spans governance, philanthropy, workforce development, and regional economic strategy—most notably through her service as chair of the Innovation District Steering Committee. Through sustained service and coalition-building, she has cultivated a trust-based partnership between George Mason and the community.
Lovey’s companies have placed approximately 300 George Mason alumni into jobs over 45 years, including more than 80 employees who have supported the university directly—demonstrating a powerful two-way relationship between George Mason and the regional workforce. As chair of the Innovation District Steering Committee, she has guided the development of sustainable governance and finance models, a distinctive regional brand, and targeted entrepreneurship and workforce programs. Her leadership as a champion, connector, and catalyst has mobilized business partners, ensured employer needs remain central to planning, and secured critical match funding to advance the district from concept to implementation.
Her commitment to George Mason extends across decades of service, including leadership roles on the Board of Visitors, the Foundation Board of Trustees, the SciTech Campus Advisory Board, and a presidential search committee. Lovey Hammel is a transformative town-gown leader whose entrepreneurial acumen and civic dedication have created a resilient, mutually beneficial partnership between George Mason University and the Northern Virginia community. She not only articulates a compelling vision—she delivers the structures, funding, and programs that turn vision into lasting impact.
Congratulations to all our award recipients. We greatly appreciate your leadership in strengthening the relationships between the university and the communities we serve.