NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Multiplying Good, the nation’s leading nonprofit focused on fueling personal growth and leadership through public service, announced that twelve new members were appointed to its Board of Selectors in January 2022. The Board of Selectors, one of the most prestigious bodies of its kind, has leveraged members’ diversity of experience, breadth of influence and commitment to excellence in their work to nominate and vote for national Jefferson Award recipients each year.
LARRY BLACKERBY, LA QUINTA, CA Larry Blackerby is a retired Emmy winning television executive with over 40 years of experience. Larry has managed TV stations all over the country with his most recent stops in Houston and Indianapolis. Larry began his involvement with Multiplying Good in 2000. He introduced the Jefferson Awards as a media sponsor in Palm Springs, CA, Houston, TX and Indianapolis, IN. He helped establish the Indiana Board for Multiplying Good where he served as a board member. Additionally, Larry created best practices for local Jefferson Award events, and has worked with staff to recruit other broadcasters nationwide to become media partners.
DEANDRE BROWN, MEMPHIS, TN A Memphis native, DeAndre brown split his time growing up between Memphis and rural Arkansas. A gifted student, he spent two years on a pre-med track at Rhodes before being lured by the easy money of being a career criminal. After nearly two years in prison, he learned about landscaping, found his faith, and became a “jailhouse preacher.” A recipient of the national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged in 2021, DeAndre Brown currently supports LifeLine to Success, a non-profit organization he founded with his wife and was recently named the Executive Director of the Shelby County, TN, Office of Reentry. In both roles, Brown works to find resources for former inmates and supports their transformation into assets for society, working to change negative perceptions that are commonly associated with a criminal record.
VIVIAN SCOTT CHEW, CLOSTER, NJ Vivian Scott Chew is undeniably a pioneering risk taker in every sense of the word. She stands as an innovative figure in the global music and entertainment industry with an accomplished history at ASCAP, Polygram Records and Sony Music. As Founder and Principal of TimeZone International - the first U.S. based African-American owned company that provides recording artists with international marketing and promotion services in expanded regions. Alongside her husband, Music Director and Producer, Ray Chew, Vivian is a founding partner in Chew Entertainment - a premiere event production firm. Together, they have a great reverence for live music working with clients such as The National Urban League, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The American Heart Association, Jackie Robinson Foundation and Carnegie Hall where she and Ray are proud to have produced multiple installments of their star- studded concert, a “Night of Inspiration”. Vivian serves on the boards of the New Jersey Council on the Arts, Covenant House International, Living Legends and is an advisor to the Universal Hip Hop Museum. She is the Co-Founder and President of The Power 2 Inspire Foundation, which was created with her husband to identify and nurture music creators and industry leaders.
DR. KIT EVANS-FORD, DAVENPORT, IA Chaplain, professor, author, and social entrepreneur, Dr. Kit Evans-Ford has been a trainer and activist for over 15 years working relentlessly in the areas of nonviolence education and assisting people in healing form violence and abuse. An Adjunct Professor in the Department of Theology, Women and Gender Studies at St. Ambrose University, she is a certified spiritual director and the founder of Argrow’s House of Healing and Hope in Davenport, Iowa. Argrow’s House is a safe space where free services are offered daily for women healing from violence and abuse in the greater Quad Cities area. Argrow’s House is also a successful social enterprise where women healing from violence and abuse create beautiful bath products that provide a living wage for themselves in a safe space that celebrates who they are. Dr. Kit is a 2019 recipient of the Jefferson Award and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Public Service Benefitting Local Communities.
MAJOR ETTA R. GRAY, MILLEDGEVILLE, GA A national Jefferson Award recipient in 2020, Major Etta R. Gray has dedicated her life to the service of her community. As a 30-year veteran of the Milledgeville Police Department, she has experienced firsthand how important it is to help children succeed. With a little help from the Chief of Police, Major Gray founded the Junior Police Academy, a summer camp directed at teaching children about avoiding drugs, gangs, peer pressure, and the importance of making good life choices. The Junior Police Academy was founded in 1999 and since then has grown from about 25 students to almost 150 students per year. When asked why these kids mean so much to her, Major Gray says, "I feel it is my personal mission to make sure that no kid goes without.” Since then, Major Gray has been instrumental in getting programs in the force that help the community – like to Specialized Patrol unit that help guides the community. Major Gray also developed the Mentors In Blue (M.I.B.) program in 2016. This programs partners law enforcement officers with at risk youth in the community to be their mentors. In 2021, Milledgeville Police Chief Dray Swicord promoted Gray to chief of detectives, making her the first woman to ever hold the position with the Milledgeville Police Department. Major Gray motto is “My life is not mine alone, but one to be lived in service to others.”
INGRID JOHNSON, NEWARK, NJ Ingrid Johnson, RN, MSN has been a nurse for over 20 years and is a nationally recognized expert in the field of Human Trafficking. In 2004, her 13-year-old daughter was missing for 11 months. Ingrid worked with law enforcement to recover her. Ingrid is manager of Patient Access at Overlook Medical Center a member of Atlantic Health System. She is co-chair of the Overlook Emergency Department Human Trafficking Committee. Ingrid is a founding member of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking and serves on the board of trustees and various committees. She serves on the NJ Commission on Human Trafficking. In 2018, honored by the Jefferson Foundation, Ingrid received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Champion for Justice Award and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities.
RICHARD PEREZ, WEBSTER, NY A past recipient of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Service Benefitting Local Communities, Richard Perez has helped more than has helped more than 700 liver transplant recipients and 2,000 people who have undergone a transplant evaluation. Richard received his own life-saving liver transplant in 2003 and has made it his mission to educate others about organ donation and support families awaiting a transplant. From 2004 to 2010, Richard helped over 105 Rochester families avoid hotel costs and stressful daily commutes with his generosity. Thanks to Richard's efforts, according to the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network, the percentage of registered organ donors has grown from 27 percent to nearly 40 percent of viable residents.
PRISCILLA PUENTE, HOUSTON, TX A national Jefferson Award recipient in 2016, Priscilla Puente has been working as an operator at a LyondellBasell plant in Houston, Texas for over 15 years. She can still remember the amazement she felt from receiving her first paycheck, from the possibility that came with that kind of income. Her work with Pasadena Habitat for Humanity introduced her to The Bridge Over Troubled Waters (TBOTW), where she was able to tie that realization of economic opportunity to a cause. Priscilla decided to partner the Women of Steel, an activist branch of her union (United Steelworker Union Local 13-227), with TBOTW to change opportunities for women affected by domestic violence.
CHRISTAN RAINEY, NORTH CHARLESTON, SC Christan Antwan Rainey is the Founder and CEO of M.A.D. USA, Inc. (Men Against Domestic Violence/Abuse) an organization that is committed to reducing all forms of domestic violence. His passion for the work he does came as a result of losing five family members to domestic violence. Christan was appointed to be a part of the South Carolina Governor’s Domestic Violence Task Force, and with help from other organizations throughout South Carolina and in 2016, the Domestic Violence Reform Bill was signed into law. In addition to his work at M.A.D., he is Assistant Chief with the North Charleston Fire Department and volunteers frequently in the area for other organizations. A TEDx speaker, Christan has an Associate Degree in Fire Science, Bachelors of Science in Fire Administration and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. He received a national Jefferson Award in 2019.
DR. SANDY SAN MIGUEL, LAFAYETTE, IN Sandra F. San Miguel, DVM, PhD, is the associate dean for engagement at Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She leads the NIH NIGMS SEPA-supported League of VetaHumanz, a global, inclusive veterinary superhero league where veterinary professionals in academia, practice, research, government, and industry engage with community centers and schools across the globe to provide access and support for under-resourced children. Dr. San Miguel received a national Jefferson Award in 2019.
AMY RODRIGUEZ SHILLING, LADERA RANCH, CA With a commitment to service and a dedication to developing young leaders, Amy Rodriguez Shilling is best known for her work on the soccer field. On January 28th she retired from professional and international soccer after 11 pro seasons, two NWSL titles (2014, 2015), two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012) and a World Cup championship (2015) and was named an assistant coach for the University of Southern California, her alma mater. She and her husband are the proud parents of two sons, Ryan and Luke.
VALERIE WEISLER, BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM Valerie Weisler is a community builder and activist from New York. At 14 years old, she founded The Validation Project, a youth empowerment organization that has grown into a global movement over the past nine years. Valerie's activism led her to receive the National Jefferson Award for Public Service at 16 years old. Valerie is also a Truman Scholar and a L'Oreal Paris Woman of Worth. Her work has been featured by Glamour, CNN, Oprah Magazine, and more. She holds a B.A in Education Advocacy and a minor in Spanish from Muhlenberg College, and is currently living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she is pursuing a Master’s in Children’s Rights at Queen’s University.
To learn more about Multiplying Good and the Jefferson Awards, please visit: http://www.multiplyinggood.org
About Multiplying Good
Multiplying Good is a national nonprofit that believes in the power of service to others to unleash potential, inspire individuals, and transform lives. Multiplying Good fuels personal growth and leadership development through a continuum that starts with engagement and culminates in recognition. It has offices in 11 communities across the country, delivering on-the-ground impact where it is needed most. Founded in 1972 by Sam Beard, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Senator Robert Taft, Jr., the organization has recognized the extraordinary public service of thousands with its Jefferson Award. To learn more, visit MultiplyingGood.org or follow Multiplying Good on Facebook.
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