MEBA to Celebrate 20 Years
May 18, 2011
Midlands Education and Business Alliance to Celebrate 20 Years
Mayor Steve Benjamin to Serve as Keynote Speaker
Dr. Jasper Salmond to Receive Service Leadership Award
Midlands Education and Business Alliance (MEBA) is celebrating 20 years of service to the Midlands with A Salute to Service and Leadership in Education event for MEBA board members, volunteers, friends and partners on May 19, 2011. Mayor Steve Benjamin will serve as the keynote speaker, highlighting MEBA’s success and recognizing Dr. Jasper Salmond as the recipient of MEBA’s Service Leadership Award.
MEBA works across Richland, Lexington and Fairfield Counties to build and strengthen connections among education, business, community and faith to promote economic development and enhance the quality of life in the Midlands. The Service Leadership Award was created to commemorate MEBA’s 20 years of service and honors an individual who exemplifies MEBA’s mission and work. Dr. Jasper Salmond, community leader and champion of public education, is the longest serving member of MEBA’s board of directors and the first recipient of MEBA’s Service Leadership Award.
Born in South Carolina during the Depression and raised in a three-room house without plumbing or electricity, Salmond’s life is a testament to his work ethic, vision and unwavering dedication to helping young people achieve their potential. Salmond’s formal education began in a one-room school with seven grades taught by one teacher, continuing through high school where he graduated as valedictorian. He attended Benedict College where he was student body president and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. Salmond went on to receive a master’s in educational supervision and administration from the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York.
Salmond began his professional career as a public school teacher, and his devotion to education and students continued as he served as a junior high school assistant principal and principal of three elementary schools. Salmond also served in the armed forces, stationed in Europe as a non-commissioned military police officer for the US Army, and finally as a United Nations contact for Wilbur Smith Associates, an international consulting firm.
MEBA is a non-profit organization that works to connect businesses, communities and education systems in Richland, Lexington and Fairfield Counties. Founded as part of the statewide Tech Prep initiative, MEBA provides career planning and other services to 7 colleges and universities, 9 school districts, 160 schools, and over 100,000 students and coordinates the activities of more than 250 volunteers from business and education. MEBA is proud to be a model for building partnerships between education and businesses to create pathways from school to college and career. For more information, please visit our website at www.mebasc.com.
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