Jim Parsons Receives Alumni Citation for Distinguished Achievement

GRANVILLE, OH (07/19/2010)(readMedia)-- Denison University recently honored eight members of its alumni body with the prestigious Alumni Citation, the highest honor bestowed upon graduates of the college. James D. Parsons, president of The Brinson Foundation, was awarded the citation.

In conferring the award, Denison President Dale T. Knobel noted of Parsons '74, "We honor Jim Parsons for his professional and personal integrity, and his unstinting loyalty to family, firm, friends and alma mater."

Steve Crawford, director of Alumni Relations at Denison University added, "Jim had an outstanding 26-year career with Gardner Carton Douglas where his legal practice was focused in the areas of corporate finance and securities law. In 1984, he became a partner and by 1991 he was managing partner, functioning as the firm's chief operating officer. When his term as managing partner ended in 2004, he moved into the nonprofit world, assuming the presidency of The Brinson Foundation, a Chicago-based family foundation. The foundation's mission is to support educational, public health and scientific research programs. The foundation currently funds approximately 100 grantees across the country.

"Jim has been active in volunteer service since leaving Denison. Jim currently serves on the boards of the Donors Forum, an association of Illinois grantmakers and non-profits based in Chicago, and King Bruwaert House, a continuous care retirement community located in suburban Chicago. He is a life trustee and former board chair of the Community House, a social service agency serving eight communities in west suburban Chicago. Jim also serves as the chair of the Client Protection Program Review Panel of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

"For Denison, Jim has been one of the college's most committed volunteers, actively involved since the day he graduated. He has served in virtually every capacity: career adviser, admissions volunteer, fundraising lieutenant for annual and capital efforts, reunion rabble-rouser, national Annual Fund chair, and member of the Alumni Council, the President's Leadership Council and the Board of Trustees. In each post, Jim's boundless enthusiasm for Denison has proved inspirational. Boards, committees, even alumni parties, simply work better when he's around. His ever-wise counsel is an effective blend of attention to detail and a confident grasp of big-picture issues."

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement, and the cultivation of independent thinking.