SULLIVAN FOUNDATION & IGNITE RETREATS
Named in honor of Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan, The Sullivan Foundation recognizes and supports students dedicated to service, campus activism, and leadership development. A cornerstone of the Foundation’s work is the biannual Ignite Retreat, which brings together top student leaders from across the country to foster social change. Over the past 15 years, the Ignite Retreat has empowered more than 1,500 students through transformative workshops and mentorship. As the 72nd Southern institution to join the Sullivan Network, Fisk University proudly hosts the program under the leadership of Dr. Ricardo Guthrie.
Fisk University Sullivan Award Recipients
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan Awards date back to 1889, when President Grover Cleveland and others first presented a plaque in honor of Mr. Sullivan and his commitment to service to others. The awards are given annually by Sullivan Foundation affiliate colleges to recognize individuals whose "nobility of character" and dedication to service sets them apart as examples for others.
Fisk University upholds the prestige of the awards by acknowledging honorees during Commencement Weekend providing recognition at graduation and during a reception with friends and family at the John Lewis Center for Social Justice. Each recipient emulates nobility of character, exemplary service to others, integrity in thought and actions while exhibiting “fine spiritual qualities, practically applied to daily living.”
2026 Awardees
Dr. Kimberly Lloyd, 2026 MA candidate in Social Justice, was nominated for the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service to others and nobility of character. Dr Lloyd founded a nonprofit program, “We Got You Covered” (WGYC) in Chicago, Illinois, and has created partnerships to support academic and personal development of African American boys.
Attorney Keeda Haynes, Senior Legal Counsel at Free Hearts, an organization led by justice-impacted women, will receive the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award for helping organize efforts for voting rights restoration in the Tennessee legislature. A bill was signed into law on March 26, 2026 to ease the process of restoring voting rights for those convicted of felony offenses. Ms. Haynes is a model of exemplary commitment to service to others and for inspiring other women to make social change.
Ms. Amelia Wright, a senior in Sociology at Fisk University, was selected for a Mary Mildred Sullivan Award given to a graduating senior for demonstrating service to others and nobility of character. Ms. Wright exhibits remarkable dedication as a student, frequently helping her peers while managing two jobs. She assists others with class projects and supports student engagement to strengthen the social fabric of the community.
2025 Awardees
Ms. Lena Winfree received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Regional Service Award at the 100th Anniversary Showcase and Gala on April 11. She is the first Sullivan award honoree from Fisk University. Ms. Winfree – Fisk’s inaugural Data & Technology Fellow at the John Lewis Center for Social Justice - uses analytics to close digital-equity gaps. She co-founded Nashville’s chapter of Blacks in Technology and launched a free healthcare-analytics training program that has up-skilled staff at dozens of safety-net clinics statewide. Winfree is a model of exemplary commitment to service to students, the campus, and a professional approach to making social changes using data science.
Ms. Lauren Arnao, a senior in Sociology at Fisk University, was selected for an Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award given to a graduating senior for demonstrating service to others and nobility of character. Ms. Arnao helped organize students in the Fisk-Belmont Social Justice Collaborative 2023-24 and 2024-25, helping with class projects, educational trips to local communities and libraries, and supporting student engagement on campus to strengthen the social fabric of the community.
Ms. Holly Rachel, President of Blacks in Technology – Nashville, received the Mary Mildred Sullivan Award for helping organize three Social Justice Hackathons between Fisk, Belmont, Vanderbilt and community partnerships with technology and education in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Ms. Joan Clayton-Davis, Fisk alumna and "Master Gardener" of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, received an Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for her timely support of the John Lewis Social Justice Center, helping organize three Open House events for alumni, campus community and students for Homecoming 2022, 2023 and 2024, and mentoring students in the Social Justice Master’s Degree program for the past three years.