The Board of Trustees of the Williamsburg Community Foundation has established the Founder’s Award for Vision and Excellence in honor of John C. Jamison.
To honor and recognize Jamison’s significant contributions to enriching the greater Williamsburg community, the Founders Award for Vision and Excellence will be awarded periodically to a group or an individual that embodies Jamison’s vision, leadership and financial support of the Williamsburg Community Foundation (WCF) and the greater Williamsburg community.
Founded in 1999, the WCF provides grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to students in James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg through its endowment funds. The Foundation’s mission is to connect people who care with causes that matter. Jamison was a part of the WCF Board for its first eight years, and has remained involved after his retirement from the Foundation. He is also very active in other nonprofits in the community.
President of Colonial Williamsburg Colin Campbell said, “Having observed John’s engagement with this community for more than two decades, I find compelling the decision of the Williamsburg Community Foundation to honor him through this award.
“John’s commitment to Williamsburg’s institutions, large and small, his leadership and support have truly made a difference in the quality of life for countless citizens. He richly deserves this recognition.”
When he retired from the Board in 2007, Jamison established the Chairman’s Challenge to grow the Community Endowment that “resulted in transformative change for the organization over a short period of time,” according to a press release about the award.
Jamison has also supported many other groups in the community, especially organizations that are involved with musical and performing arts, helping young people and protecting animals. “By his design, John’s involvement with organizations is not always seen in the public eye but the results of his enthusiasm are felt strongly by those organizations and people who have been fortunate enough to be taken under John’s wing,” the release said.
A native of Indiana, Jamison graduated from Purdue University and the Harvard Graduate School of Business. He served in the U.S. Navy for three years as a communications and legal officer. He had a long and distinguished Wall Street career, serving as a partner with Goldman Sachs & Co. for 21 years before becoming Dean of the College of William and Mary Business School for seven years.
Jamison then served as President and CEO of the Mariners Museum before retiring in 1993. He has served on many corporate and nonprofit boards around the country; locally, he has served on the board of the Riverside Health System, The Mariners Museum, and the Williamsburg Winery.
Lawrence Pulley, dean of the College of William and Mary Business School, said that “John Jamison was a visionary dean during a critical period in the life of this business school and we are still benefiting from his leadership and innovations.
“He started our Executive MBA Program, which recently admitted its 28th class of working executives.”
Pulley’s faculty position was part of an expansion in resources that Jamison secured from the state to build the college’s Evening MBA program, he said, which has become the successful Flex MBA program offered at the College’s Peninsula Center in Oyster Point.
Pulley also said Jamison was especially committed to teaching, and he “not only expanded the school’s commitment in this area but added excellent faculty, many of whom are still here.”
“This award will honor John Jamison for his vision and passion for the Williamsburg community,” according to the press release. It “will be a lasting legacy to embody the unstinting love and support for this community that John has demonstrated through his generosity.”
For more information about the Foundation, call 757-259-1660 or email [email protected].
