Matt Jones Receives 2008 Board of Directors Alumni Achievement Award

Matt Jones, former Phi Theta Kappa National Officer, lawyer and lobbyist, is the 2008 recipient of the Society's Board of Directors Alumni Achievement Award. Jones received his award at the Hallmark Awards Gala during the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 3-5. He also served as Keynote Speaker at the Convention's Alumni Banquet that preceded the April 5 Gala.

"I definitely feel humble, and somewhat daunted, to be in the company of the past recipients of this award," he said. "These people have committed so much time and effort and have done so much - I hope I can match their accomplishments in time."

"Matt has been an outstanding advocate for Phi Theta Kappa, as a member, a National Officer and as an alumnus," said Phi Theta Kappa Executive Director Rod Risley. "He has served on the alumni council, and has spoken at a past International Convention and at regional meetings. The Board is pleased to name Matt as the very deserving recipient of this prestigious award."

Jones was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa at Illinois Central Community College in East Peoria, in 1984. He first heard of Phi Theta Kappa in an English class. "The chapter president was in the class and told me I should consider membership. Being a part of being a prestigious honor society sounded good."

Jones accepted the invitation. Even before his induction, Jones told his advisor, Dr. Dick Nimz, that he planned to run for National Office. "I was inducted and three weeks later I was on a bus, by myself, for a 23-hour ride to Washington, D.C. - with my clothes, a game plan, 750 fliers and 250 homemade buttons."

Jones ran against four other candidates and won on the first ballot. He remembers his year in office as "phenomenal."

"I was always interested in service and I learned so much - I gained self- confidence and a real sense of accomplishment. For the first time, my hopes and dreams had substance."

At the end of his year in office, Jones won the Bierkoe Award, then presented to the most outstanding officer.

After community college, Jones transferred to the University of Illinois for undergraduate and law school. He remained involved with Phi Theta Kappa, and in 1994 was invited to speak to the International Convention, just before a debate between Edwin Meese and George McGovern. "That was a great moment, and so was getting to visit with Ed Meese, a true icon."

Jones is currently with Kolkmeier Consulting, handling legislative, government and regulatory matters. His wife, Sandy Gallant, also a Phi Theta Kappa member, is a meteorologist with a local TV station. Both have received community "40 Leaders Under 40" civic awards.

Jones has also been Legal Counsel for the Illinois Senate Majority Staff, and has worked in the Peoria County States Attorney's Office.

Active in community affairs, he serves on a local chamber of commerce committee, on the board of the Peoria Ballet and the Comstock Theater, is a member of the Alzheimer's Association of Central Illinois and the Peoria County Juvenile Justice Council.

In addition to the "40 Leaders Under 40" Award, Jones has been included in the Illinois Jaycees "10 Outstanding Young People of Illinois" and in "Tomorrow's Leaders of the Profession," chosen by the Illinois State Bar Association.

He is quick to acknowledge Phi Theta Kappa's role in his success.

"The great things about Phi Theta Kappa are the opportunities, the kinds of experiences that usually only the very privileged students have, such as honors education, travel, leadership development, fellowship events," Jones said. "Phi Theta Kappa opens up perspectives that community college students would not get otherwise. Truly, our Society is remarkable."

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, is the largest honor society in American higher education with 1,250 chapters on two-year and community college campuses in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Germany, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and U.S. territorial possessions. More than two million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 100,000 students inducted annually.