Grambling State University will honor 10 recipients at the fourth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Awards Luncheon on February 5. This year’s winners include the youngest mayor in Louisiana’s history, a former professional football player turned teacher and coach, a renowned artist and several leaders in education and non-profit organizations at the regional and national levels.
Winners of the Fannie Lou Hamer Community Service and Leadership Award include: David Aubrey, the North Louisiana Regional Director of External Affairs for AT&T Inc.; Janet Durden, president of United Way of Northeast Louisiana; Clarence Hawkins, Louisiana State Director for United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development; Hazel Hunter, a former manager with Louisiana Department of Social Services; Quentin Messer, assistant secretary for Louisiana Economic Development; Eldonta Osborne, former professional football player and chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Louisiana; and Willie Washington, federal programs director.
Currently the North Louisiana Regional Director of External Affairs for AT&T Inc., Aubrey previously served as the executive director of the Strategic Action Committee of Northwest Louisiana, where he assisted more than 60 minority businesses secure more than $10 million in contracts with private corporation, majority contractors and government agencies. In 1998 at the age of 24, Aubrey was elected the first African-American mayor of Homer, La., and become the youngest mayor in the state of Louisiana.
Janet Durden has just celebrated her 30th anniversary as president of United Way of Northeast Louisiana. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Louisiana Association of United Ways and Louisiana 2-1-1 Coordinating Council. She previously testified before the U.S. Senate representing the National 2-1-1 Information and Referral System.
A former mayor of Bastrop from 1989 to 2009, Hawkins now serves as the Louisiana state director for USDA Rural Development. He is responsible for the direction and delivery of the agency’s rural development programs in Louisiana.
An active member of her community, Hunter serves as the president of the Dr. Michael A. Hunter Foundation, the Pinkie C. Wilkerson Foundation and the Lincoln Parish Police Jury. She is also a beauty pageant consultant and judge. Hunter previously worked for 38 years for the state of Louisiana as a former instructor and manager with the Department of Social Services in vocational rehabilitation.
As an assistant secretary for Louisiana Economic Development, Messer manages initiatives and programs related to business intelligence, community competitiveness, small business services and state economic competitiveness. He also serves as the president of the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation.
Osborne is a former professional football player who has served as the chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club of North Central Louisiana for the past 13 years. He signed as a free agent with the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals in 1990. Osborne returned to Louisiana in 1993 and worked as a teacher and coach. He also owns a trophy and awards business, Trophy Designs Plus, in the Grambling and Ruston area.
Washington has been an active leader in education for more than four decades. He began his teaching career as a math, science and language arts teacher in Arcadia, La. In the following years, he worked as a teacher, coach, counselor, assistant principal and principal. Because of his strong work ethic and demonstrated leadership abilities, Washington was promoted to the Federal Programs Director in 1992, where he continues to serve today.
Artist Frank Kelly, Jr. is the recipient of the Alvin Ailey Arts and Letters Award, and John Belton, district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District Court for Lincoln and Union Parishes, and his wife, Alana Belton, a former prosecutor, have received the Thurgood Marshall Justice Award.
A renowned artist living in Monroe, La., Frank Kelly, Jr.’s work is represented in galleries like the Carol Robinson Gallery in New Orleans, La., the Thelma Harris Master Art Gallery in Oakland, Calif., and the Firehouse Red Gallery in New London, Conn. In 2014, Kelley created a special art print as a fundraiser for Grambling State University. The print, entitled “Appointed Visionaries”, depicts Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman.
John Belton serves as the district attorney for the 3rd Judicial District Court for Lincoln and Union Parishes. Prior to this, he served as assistant district attorney for 23 years. He and his wife, Alana Belton, a former prosecutor, have been married for 23 years and volunteer as Christian marriage counselors.
The special guest speaker for the award ceremony will be Stephanie Finley, United States District Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana. Finley is the first woman appointed to serve as a U.S. attorney in the state of Louisiana. She is the chief law enforcement officer for 42 of the 64 parishes in the state. In addition to her duties as a U.S. attorney, she also serves as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Leadership Awards recognizes persons who, through their service to Grambling State University, the state, region and country, exemplify King’s character, leadership and selflessness. Each honoree must have been personally or corporately involved in making tangible, visible and meaningful contributions to the advancement of race relations and/or human rights causes in one or more of the following areas, including but not limited to, the arts, business, education, justice, politics, science and technology, religion and athletics. The award ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on February 5 in Grambling State University’s Favrot Student Union in the Black and Gold Room.
A limited number of tickets are available at $15 each and may be purchased from the Grambling State University Office of Research, Advancement and Economic Development, 100 Robinson Street, across the street from the Army ROTC Building, or by calling (318)-274-2217. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door. The deadline for ticket purchase is February 2.
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