Ferrum College is pleased to announce this year’s three annual alumni awards: Young Alumni, Distinguished Alumni and Beckham Medallion. The awards are part of a tradition begun with recognition of several college founders and leaders from the 1920s. Winners are nominated by alumni, faculty, or staff, vetted by the Nominations Committee of the Alumni Board of Directors, and approved by the president.
The 2022 recipients will be recognized in an awards ceremony during the Homecoming Weekend festivities Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room located in Franklin Hall. All Ferrum College alumni are invited to attend.
Young Alumni: Matthew Woods ’11
The Young Alumni award is given to a young alumnus/ae who has demonstrated professional and personal success since graduating from Ferrum College within the last 15 years.
Matthew Woods, a resident of Rocky Mount, Virginia, has served over twelve years assisting students, educators, and schools in a variety of roles. His professional experience includes being a high school social studies teacher, middle and high school assistant principal, middle school principal, director of student support services, adjunct professor, and field instructor at the collegiate level for student-teachers. Additionally, Woods hosts an education podcast, Leading Out The Woods, and is an accomplished keynote speaker and educational consultant.
Woods’ leadership and innovative approaches have led him to be recognized by numerous organizations including ASCD (Emerging Leaders Class 2021) and recipient of LG’s Happiness League Award. Woods earned a Bachelor of Science in History and Social Studies from Ferrum College, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from Virginia Tech, a graduate certificate in Education Law and Policy, and an Educational Specialist in Middle Grades Education from the University of Georgia. Woods is in the process of completing his doctoral studies in Educational Leadership and Administration from Radford University with an expected graduation date of December 2022.
Distinguished Alumni: Carthan Currin ’84
The Distinguished Alumni Award recipient exemplifies a record of exceptional career achievement and service to their community, church or other organizations; were active in college life; and remain involved and supportive of Ferrum College as alumni.
Carthan F. Currin, III, a resident of Richmond, Virginia, graduated from Ferrum College with a degree in Public Administration. A native of Petersburg, Virginia, his distinguished career in public service and economic development includes executive positions with the City of Petersburg, the County of Brunswick, and the City of Richmond. Experience in the private sector placed Currin in the forefront of economic and commercial development, infrastructure improvements, utility regulation, education, and work-force training.
Currin’s cumulative work with the General Assembly, governors of Virginia, and mayors of Richmond and Petersburg led to his appointment by Governor Jim Gilmore as the first executive director of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission. In this role, he directed more than $390 million in investments in the tobacco region supporting economic development, research and development, tourism, workforce development, higher education, technology, and agribusiness.
Currently, Currin serves as the president of the Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges, an organization to which he has long-standing ties, first as a board member and then as chairman of the board. The Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges is a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources and leveraging economic development and public and private sector alliances on behalf of Appalachian School of Law, Averett University, Bluefield University, Eastern Mennonnite University, and Ferrum College.
In addition to his professional achievements, Currin has served on the boards of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Southside VA Community College Foundation, Scenic Virginia, Battersea Foundation, and the Ferrum Alumni Association.
Beckham Medallion: Phyllis Karavatakis ’76
The Beckham Medallion, named after Dr. Benjamin M. Beckham, the first president of Ferrum College, is the highest tribute bestowed upon an alumnus/a. The distinction honors those who exemplify the College motto, Not Self, But Others and who have demonstrated exceptional career success, service to their community, and dedication to Ferrum College.
Phyllis Karavatakis, a resident of Union Hall, Virginia, is a proven C-suite executive recognized for driving organizational change, business transformation, and continuous improvement. For more than twenty-five years, Karavatakis has been a senior/executive level manager, responsible for achieving financial performance and strategic objectives for Carter Bank & Trust, a community bank with $4 billion in assets, in Virginia and North Carolina. With direct responsibility for 110 branches and more than 600 employees, Karavatakis led retail and commercial lines of business, sourced and managed a successful multi-billion dollar loan portfolio, and maintained oversight accountability for marketing, mortgage and loan servicing operations.
A graduate of Franklin County High School, Karavatakis earned an Associate Degree from Ferrum College, a Bachelor Degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Richmond, and completed the Virginia Bankers Association School of Bank Management through the University of Virginia. She has held multiple executive appointments including chairman and Audit Committee chairman of the Ferrum College Board of Trustees; president and board director of Southside Business Technology Center/The Launch Place; chairman of the Foundation Committee of Piedmont Arts; chairman of the Martinsville and Henry County Chamber of Commerce; and a board member of United Way of Martinsville & Henry County, Patrick Henry Community College Foundation, and Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority. Karavatakis has also been honored with multiple awards and distinctions including the lifetime achievement award at Carter Bank & Trust; the Heck Ford Leadership Award at Martinsville and Henry County Chamber of Commerce; and president of the largest community bank at Women in Executive Leadership.For additional information about the Ferrum College Alumni Awards Ceremony and to RSVP by October 5, 2022, click here.
