Jack Wood Award Recipients for 2024
Business/Non-Profit Category:
Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga has become integral to the Mason Square community. It has demonstrated exceptional leadership in fostering strong relationships between the University and the local community through their involvement in the Activation of the Plaza at Mason Square. Their weekly yoga and Pilates classes have grown from just a handful of participants in 2022 to now one of the signature weekly yoga events, drawing an average of 70 participants each week.
One of the most notable aspects of Mind the Mat’s contribution to town-gown relations is its dedication to inclusivity and accessibility. By offering a diverse range of classes led by skilled and experienced instructors, Mind the Mat ensures that individuals from all walks of life, including students, faculty, and Arlington residents, have access to resources that promote physical and mental well-being.
Student Category:
Anthony Amos, a student graduating this May, lives in Fairfax City and works for Fairfax County. He has been extremely active in building relationships between all three entities. He serves as a Fairfax City appointee on the Fairfax Campus and Community Advisory Board, serves as an ambassador for the Schar School of Public Policy, and frequently speaks with prospective students encouraging them to attend George Mason while also connecting them with community leaders who can assist them in their career choices.
Anthony was motivated by his time in George Mason’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center to pursue anti-trafficking legislation for the 2025 General Assembly. His policy memo is now sponsored by the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce, where he is the Government Affairs chair. His extensive volunteerism with registered student organizations, like Bridge at Mason, and community organizations, like the League of Women Voters, highlights his love for public service and connection. He can often be seen providing students with information on voter registration.
Faculty/Staff Category:
Matt McLaughlin, Coordinator for Off-Campus Students within the Office of Contemporary Student Services, works to support the belonging and inclusion of contemporary students within the George Mason community and the broader Fairfax community, particularly through the Mason Trunk-or-Treat program, which he began in the fall of 2022. Free and open to the public, trunk-or-treat is an event in which families come to a designated location to trick-or-treat from decorated car trunks provided by various organizations and community members. The event brings together residents, students, faculty, and staff for a festive fall celebration on campus. Community members have an opportunity to see George Mason as a part of their community and an extension of their neighborhood, fostering a sense of shared community spirit. Matt worked with units and departments across campus including Student Government, Business Operations, and Mason Athletics.
Additionally, he leveraged existing campus and community partnerships through Patriot Perks to offer community business members the opportunity to host a trunk at the event. To support the success and growth of Trunk-or-Treat, Matt also connected with local PTAs and City/County organizations. Trunk-or-Treat has grown each year from 15 trunks, three activities, and over 100 participants in 2022 to 26 trunks, six activities, and over 600 participants in 2023.
Partnership Category (an initiative created between a Mason entity and an external organization(s) to benefit both entities):
The LEAD Office Student Leadership Consultants, with the help and support of a grant from the H.S. Lowe, Jr. and S.Hitchcock-Lowe Foundation, have been partnering with Terraset Elementary School in Reston, Virginia to bring a group of 5th and 6th grade students to campus for the past two years. The elementary school students participate in a mini-leadership conference hosted by the Student Leadership Consultants. The young students have a chance to participate in educational, interactive, sessions focused on leadership, team building, communication, values, problem-solving, and goal setting. The students also receive George Mason swag, a certificate, and participate in a campus tour. This year the Student Leadership Consultants added a pen pal project where they sent letters to the Terraset students before they came to campus so the young students could get to know their Student Leadership Consultants better. The partnership has benefited university students by providing an opportunity to enhance their leadership skills, and it has benefited the Terraset Ambassadors and Young Scholars by showing them what leadership looks like at a college level. The opportunity also provides a path of inspiration to students who may not have considered college previously.
Legacy Category (The Legacy Award recognizes leadership achievement in town-gown relations over a period of time five years or longer.)
Janet Walker, Transportation Programs Manager in the University’s Office of Parking and Transportation, has fostered fruitful city/county/university partnerships on transportation programs over the years. She has worked to improve the ability of students, faculty, staff, and local residents to travel easily to and from the University using alternative transit modes like bikes and scooters. Janet has overseen and managed a growth of transportation options to increase the connectivity between Fairfax City and the Fairfax Campus, as well as Arlington County and Mason Square. From foundational existing partnerships, such as the University’s support of the CUE bus, to new and emerging technologies like electric scooters, Janet initiated innovative ideas like the Patriot Bike Checkout program, which allows students to check out bikes from Mason Recreation facilities for free, and use them to travel through Fairfax on errands and adventures alike. The most recent innovation she has achieved is the partnership between Fairfax City and the University on Capital Bikeshare. This partnership will bring a much-desired service to campus and the city to allow for smooth travel via rented bikes to and from the University.
She also regularly works with Arlington Transportation Partners as a leader in one of their primary recognition programs for employers. She exhibits exceptional talent in collaborating on issues of mutual interest that can improve the lives of everyone. Through her efforts, the University was recognized as one of the nation’s Best Workplace for Commuters and was the only educational organization in Arlington County and Northern Virginia so recognized. Janet will be retiring from George Mason this summer after a distinguished career of many years of service. Without Janet’s leadership and incredible effort, these great transportation community partnerships would have never gotten off the ground.
Congratulations to all our award recipients. We greatly appreciate your leadership in strengthening the relationships between the university and the communities we serve.