Clemson University’s Rutland Institute for Ethics announces 2015 James F. Barker Award recipient
October 5, 2015
Scott T. Dishman of The Family Effect to be recognized at Award Dinner on October 22, tickets now available
CLEMSON, SC – After a rigorous selection process, Clemson University’s Rutland Institute for Ethics announced that its Advisory Board has selected Scott T. Dishman – who serves as Director of Community Engagement for The Family Effect – to receive the 2015 James F. Barker Ethics in Action Award.
Mr. Dishman is the second recipient of the institute’s highest honor – the first recipient being the award’s namesake, former Clemson University President James F. Barker. Dishman will be recognized during a dinner in his honor on Thursday, October 22 at the Poinsett Club in Greenville. Tickets are now on sale for the event via www.clemson.edu/ethics. The Award Dinner is sponsored by The Greenville News, Fluor, Michelin North America, and Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough.
“Dedication to ethics and the value of integrity ought to be recognized and celebrated, both because it shows that we think it is important and because it may prompt ethical aspiration and action by others. The most reliable indicator of such dedication is found in what one does, and with Mr. Dishman, it is easy to see,” stated Daniel Wueste, Ph.D., who serves as Director of Clemson University’s Rutland Institute for Ethics.
Dabo Swinney, Clemson University’s Head Football Coach, added, “My wife and I have had the pleasure of working with Scott the past six years through our ALL IN Team Foundation. We are happy and proud that Scott has received this recognition. It is much deserved.” Coach Swinney personally nominated Mr. Dishman for the 2015 Ethics in Action Award.
Chair of the Rutland Institute for Ethics Advisory Board, Joe Turner, said, “I was so impressed when we met with Scott to tell him that he had been selected to receive the award. He expressed doubt about his deserving the award and began talking about the others he works with and how the success they have achieved is their success. Ethics in action. That’s what we had seen and what we were seeing again.”
Bestowed upon an exceptional individual whose actions exemplify integrity, the James F. Barker Ethics in Action award seeks to bring ethics into focus in the best way possible – through real-life application. Nominators, and the subsequent selection panel, look for an individual with actions or significant accomplishments revealing deep and sustained commitment to ethical conduct and the value of integrity. Nominations were accepted from across the State of South Carolina and were reviewed by a subcommittee of the Rutland Institute for Ethics Advisory Board.
The subcommittee selected Mr. Dishman for his work to improve the lives of neglected and abused children in our area. In 2006, he left behind a successful corporate career in marketing and brand strategy and joined A Child’s Haven, where he developed a communications program and capital campaign to bolster the agency. In 2009, Mr. Dishman created and launched The Family Effect, which works to address addiction and its impact on children and families in South Carolina. Operating as the philanthropic foundation for The Phoenix Center, programming supported by The Family Effect brought treatment to more than 1,500 families in 2014 alone. In addition to his work with The Family Effect, Mr. Dishman serves as Vice Chair of the Board for Fostering Great Ideas, an organization working to improve the lives of children in foster care. He has served on the Board for Pendleton Place for Children & Families, and is the Immediate Past President of the Piedmont Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). He also serves at the national level on AFP’s Communications and Marketing Committee.
“I can tell you that I’m deeply honored by this recognition,” says Dishman. “But I am also keenly aware that there are many others working on behalf of disadvantaged children. These are people I know well, and some are making bigger, more personal sacrifices than I am. So I will accept the honor on their behalf, and call attention to their work when I can.”
Tickets for the 2015 James F. Barker Ethics in Action Award Dinner are $75 per individual or $750 for a table of 10 attendees, and are available for purchase online at www.clemson.edu/ethics. All proceeds from the evening benefit the Rutland Institute for Ethics through the Clemson University Foundation.
About Rutland Institute for Ethics
Named for Robert J. Rutland, the Rutland Institute for Ethics at Clemson University was created to encourage discussion on campus, in businesses and in the community about how ethical decision-making can be the basis of both personal and professional success. For more information about the Rutland Institute, its programs and impacts, visit www.clemson.edu/ethics.
