Jack Wood Award Recipients for 2025
Community Category:
DeShane Jones, BA ’18 in Film and Video Studies, exemplifies the spirit of the Jack Wood Award through his unwavering commitment to fostering strong town-gown relationships between George Mason University and the City of Fairfax. He took the initiative to create lasting, positive change in the community through civic engagement and local advocacy.
In 2023, DeShane co-founded the Black Social & Culture Committee (BSCC). BSCC is a vital bridge between George Mason and the broader City of Fairfax community, ensuring that Black residents, students, and business owners can access spaces that celebrate culture, promote economic growth, and enhance civic engagement. Since its inception, BSCC has curated events that uplift the Black community, including social mixers, professional development workshops, and cultural celebrations. BSCC has partnered with the City of Fairfax to enhance the visibility and success of Black-owned businesses and cultural initiatives. He played a key role in organizing the City’s 2024 Juneteenth celebration, bringing together local leaders, businesses, and residents to commemorate the historic event.
DeShane’s leadership has laid the groundwork for a more inclusive and connected Fairfax, reinforcing the impact that university-community partnerships can have.
Student Category:
As featured recently in The George, the Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a student-run organization on campus that works diligently to foster relationships between George Mason and the community. Its mission is to combat food insecurity throughout the Greater Fairfax area while preventing waste at Mason Dining facilities. Serving three homeless shelters, with the furthest located in Alexandria, across two separate non-profit networks, FRN collects surplus food from Southside Dining Hall and Mason Events to donate twice a week during the semester.
Since its establishment at George Mason, the FRN has donated and saved over 1,600 pounds of food from entering landfills. This number includes over 750 pounds recovered in the 2024-2025 school year. Not only does FRN make a difference on campus, but it also assists the university in reaching its civic engagement and sustainability goals. Accepting on behalf of FRN is its President Camila Rosales.
Faculty Category:
Matt Rice is a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science (GIS) in the College of Science at George Mason and has been a City of Fairfax resident since 2008. He has forged connections between the GIS program and City staff to tackle complex projects. Matt advises George Mason students working on projects that involve the City and its programs. Last fall, Rice organized a GIS Day at George Mason that included speakers from the City, including Mayor Catherine Read, and faculty panelists to a standing-room-only crowd. Matt works to bring George Mason students and programs together with the City’s staff, boards, and projects to create opportunities for experiential learning and problem-solving. Those who have worked with Matt will attest to the positive outcomes he has coordinated over all these years.
Government Category:
Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis takes a proactive and enthusiastic approach to nurturing town-gown relations with George Mason University. In 2024, then Vice Chair Karatonis, an urban planner by profession, met with George Mason’s Liza Wilson Durant, Paul Liberty, and Toni Andrews for an update on the Fuse building at Mason Square and the university’s recently acquired real estate properties on Fairfax Drive. Takis suggested creating a capstone project for George Mason students. The project would have students envision a blue-sky ideation about the future state of a connected Mason Square and anchor destination for Arlington. George Mason’s leadership enthusiastically received and encouraged the project. Seniors in the Civil and Infrastructure Engineering program have undertaken the project focused on the Mason Square campus and the conception of a unified, sustainable, pedestrian-friendly campus, incorporating multiple project ideas related to these themes and George Mason’s Master Plan. Students have met with Takis and County staff throughout the process. The capstone will wrap up in May 2025. Without Takis’ leadership, it is doubtful this impactful project – benefiting the university, community, and participating students – would have taken place.
Partnership Category (an initiative created between a Mason entity and an external organization(s) to benefit both entities):
In 2024, the Prince William County Community Services Board and George Mason’s College of Public Health launched the Peer Support Specialist Workforce Pipeline. The organizations joined forces to address a critical workforce need while creating professional development and service opportunities. This innovative program strengthens the behavioral health workforce by providing education, training, and pathways to employment for individuals with lived experience in substance abuse recovery. The program offers a comprehensive approach that combines academic instruction with practical, hands-on experience, ensuring participants are well-prepared to support community members in need.
The Peer Support Specialist Workforce Pipeline has seen remarkable outcomes, including a 75% retention rate of interns within the peer workforce or support system post-completion. Individuals with at least one year in recovery obtain the training and work experience to become Certified Peer Recovery Specialists, often transitioning to full-time roles. Additionally, the return on investment, calculated at 188.46%, demonstrates significant cost savings and efficiency improvements, affirming the initiative’s financial viability and impact.
Legacy Category (The Legacy Award recognizes leadership achievement in town-gown relations over a period of time five years or longer.):
Padmanabhan “Padhu” Seshaiyer is a professor and director in the Mathematical Sciences Department at George Mason. His dedication to K-12 STEM education, policy development, and education partnerships has significantly shaped Virginia’s educational landscape.
Padhu is a regional leader in the K-12 STEM space. He’s the driving force behind the George Mason University College of Science and Pinnacle Academy Northern Virginia Science and Engineering Fair for Elementary and Middle School Students. This unique event annually hosts over 150 students from Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Washington, D.C. It brings together George Mason students and faculty, corporate partners, elementary and middle school educators, and students and their families to promote the awareness of STEM to solve real-world problems.
He also organizes and chairs MATHCOUNTS activities in the Northern Virginia area. MATHCOUNTS is a national middle school math enrichment program offering competition and club activities designed to foster an appreciation of math.
Padhu spearheads professional development learning opportunities by fostering relationships between George Mason and statewide educational organizations and agencies. He holds multiple statewide positions, including as an appointed member of two different boards to the Office of the Governor (the VA STEM Advisory Board and the VA Workforce Development Board). He is an appointed member of the SCHEV AI-taskforce and a member of the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition. He helped to lead the Virginia Department of Education’s higher education task force for Data Science Standards and Implementation for Virginia.
He also serves as Discover Engineering (DiscoverE)’s board president. Under his leadership, DiscoverE has developed a strategic framework focusing on increasing interest, deepening knowledge, strengthening skills, and creating opportunities for students and their families in engineering.
Padhu’s contributions have a lasting impact on the region’s educational system and beyond.
Congratulations to all our award recipients. We greatly appreciate your leadership in strengthening the relationships between the university and the communities we serve.