Luther announces Young Alumni Award

Luther College's Young Alumni Award has been awarded to 2002 graduate Eli Williamson for his leadership and creativity in blending life's work with service.

While attending Luther Williamson joined the Army Reserve as a way to defray college costs in 1999.  He was called to active duty following the 9/11 bombings.  He deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and later to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
While in the Mideast Williamson and his childhood friend Roy Brown Sartin—also a Luther 2002 graduate--met other young veterans facing significant college debt and other economic hardships returning from the battlefields in the Middle East to an American economy in recession.  They quickly learned that many student loans are not covered by today's G.I. Bill.  That led the two of them to co-found "Leave No Veteran Behind," a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides educational, employment and community service opportunities for veterans facing economic hardship.

"Leave No Veteran Behind" is now in its fifth year, has an annual budget of nearly five million dollars, and provides executive leadership training, employment skills training, transitional employment and employment partnerships, all to veterans in need of assistance. To ensure community investment, Williamson established the requirement that veterans who receive help through the programs must give back a minimum of 10 hours of community service. The amount of money devoted to clients relative to the cost of operations is 82 percent and rising.

Williamson also serves veterans in his full-time job as director of veteran's affairs with The McCormick Foundation in Chicago. He is a fellow with the Truman National Security Project in Washington D.C., a fellow with Mission Continues in St. Louis, an active member of Windsor Park Lutheran Church and a master's candidate at DePaul University's School of Public Service. He and his wife Laura Dignani-Williamson live in Chicago with their two daughters.