MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2020 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Blackwell, Parker, McLendon, Jackson (11th), Simmons (12th), Jordan, Whaley, Boyd, Simmons (13th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CIVIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF TOM PITTMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AND EXTENDING THE BEST WISHES OF THE LEGISLATURE.
WHEREAS, we join the business and civic community of Mississippi in honoring the career and many contributions of Tom Pittman, President and CEO of Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi (2004-present), Chairman of the Board (2002-2004) and co-incorporator of the Foundation in 2002; and
WHEREAS, Tom's enormous civic energy is indicated in the following career accomplishments:
• Prior to joining the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, he had a 25-year career with leading newspapers in Tupelo and DeSoto County; recipient of journalism awards from The University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi University for Women; President of Mississippi Press Association; award for Best Editorial Writing; and served on Leadership Council of National Association of Newspapers.
• Co-incorporated the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi in 2002 and served as its first volunteer Chairman.
• Served as first full-time President of the Community Foundation since 2004 and led expansion of its primary service area to 11 Delta counties.
• Implemented mission of the Community Foundation as impacting communities by "connecting people who care with causes that matter" with priorities as education and health, especially for children and youth.
• Presided over the Foundation's granting of more than $27 Million to assist over 800 charitable organizations.
• Helped the Foundation grow its permanent charitable assets from $0 to almost $20 Million.
• Partnered with national foundations such as Ford Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation to assist residents of Northwest Mississippi.
• Co-founded the annual Crystal Ball that has supported the work of the Community Foundation for 20 years and has been honored as the state's best fundraising event by the Mississippi Association of Fundraising Professionals.
• Developed the Community Digital Scholars Program that engages 24% of Grade 4-l2 public school students in the Delta in online courses for personal finance, Black History, STEM and other critical subjects at no cost to the schools or students.
• Worked with the co-founder of Wikipedia, Dr. Larry Sanger, to create Google top-rated websites for educational videos (WatchKnowLearn.org) and for learning to read (ReadingBear.org) that are free to use for schools and for students at home.
• Established the DeSoto County Superintendent's Youth Leadership Council involving students from all the county's public high schools and provided them experiences such as trips to New York and Washington to meet with Senators, top business executives and other national leaders.
• Developed the Regional Health Council that created and implemented local strategies to reduce childhood obesity and improve wellness throughout the Delta.
• Spoke about the Community Foundation's innovative work to reduce childhood obesity at the invitation of state and national groups, including the National Governors Association.
• Worked with the First Regional Library System to create a Family Resource Center and establish Words on Wheels bus to take resources and mentoring to child care centers throughout the Library's five-county region.
• Established "Baby University" for the Delta to help mothers improve their parenting skills and provide better environment for young children.
• Staged Shoot For the Heart Sporting Clays events in Tunica for eight years that has attracted participants from around the nation and beyond and has raised almost $400,000.00 for the nursing program at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
• Helped launch numerous nonprofits such as Lower Mississippi River Foundation, Emmett Till Commission, Unknown Child Memorial, and the Marks Project.
• Honored by NASDAQ and EverFi at NASDAQ headquarters in New York City for leadership in online youth personal finance education programs.
• Honored by Governor Ronnie Musgrove for Superior Leadership in the statewide Computers in the Classrooms Initiative.
• Honored with creation of Tom Pittman Endowment for Delta Directions by a $200,000.00 matching grant from a Connecticut couple to sustain the consortium of the Community Foundation, Harvard University, Mississippi State University, and the University of Mississippi to improve the public health and economic development of the Delta.
• Served as President of the Mississippi Association of Grantmakers and co-chaired its merger with the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits to create the nationally recognized Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy; and
WHEREAS, Tom's civic contributions and honors include the following:
• Owner of DeSoto Times (1997-present) and Editor and Publisher of DeSoto Times (1997-2004).
• Board member of CREATE Community Foundation in Tupelo (1994-1997).
• Managing Editor, Editor and then General Manager of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo and Vice President of Journal Publishing Company, overseeing five weekly newspapers (1979-1997).
• Initiator of pilot project to place an online computer in every public school classroom, and member of State Technology Task Force that completed $25 Million mission of placing an online computer in every Mississippi public school classroom (2000-2003).
• Board member of the Mississippi Economic Council (1998-2016).
• Board member of the Public Education Forum of Mississippi (2004-2016).
• Charter board member of Mississippi International Cultural Series and past board member of WONDERS: The Memphis International Cultural Series (1993-2004).
• Charter board member of the DeSoto Health & Wellness Center, a primary health center for the uninsured (2002-2008).
• Board member of Mississippi News and Information, Inc. (2017-present).
• Advisory board member of Entergy Mississippi (2015-present).
• Board member of Southern Bancorp Community Partners (2018-present).
• President of Mississippi Grantmakers Association (2017-2019) and co-chair of committee to merge organization with Mississippi Center for Nonprofits (2018-2019).
• President of Mississippi Press Association (1994).
• Recipient of Mississippi Press Association J. Oliver Emmerich Award for Editorial Excellence (2001), University of Southern Mississippi Statewide Medalist Award for excellence in journalism (1990), Mississippi University for Women Silver Inky for outstanding contributions to American journalism (1992); and
WHEREAS, Tom is an Elder in the United Methodist Church (retired), is a Brookhaven High School graduate where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Mississippi and Masters of Divinity degree from Emory University. He is married to Cyndi Pittman and they have four children: Jonathan, David, Rob and Alexandra; and
WHEREAS, we pay tribute to a record of achievement and legacy of leadership and dedication by a most public-spirited citizen of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the career accomplishments and civic contributions of Tom Pittman, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, on the occasion of his retirement and extend the best wishes of the Legislature to Tom and his family on this auspicious occasion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Tom Pittman, forwarded to the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, the Mississippi Development Authority, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.