Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Honorary Chairman
Born in South Africa in 1931, Desmond Tutu grew up under the oppression of apartheid. Tutu earned a college degree in education, but he soon left the education field to become an Anglican priest. He studied theology in England to become a bishop and then taught theology in South Africa for several years.
He became the first black Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg in 1975 and the first black General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches in 1978. As he became a more prominent figure, Tutu could denounce apartheid and support equal rights in South Africa.
He won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the South African Council of Churches and his encouragement for equal rights for all South Africans. In 1986, he was elected the first black Archbishop of Cape Town.
When Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa in 1994, he appointed Tutu to be chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Tutu retired as Archbishop in 1996.
Tutu joined forces with Building Tomorrow and became Honorary Chairman in 2006.
“I am thrilled that students are responding to the call of Building Tomorrow and want to get involved and help their fellow students in sub-Saharan Africa,” Tutu said about BT. “This is a global community village we want to encourage.”
George Srour, Executive Director
George Srour is the founder and director of Building Tomorrow, Inc. (BT). Srour attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Vir., where he graduated in 2005 with a major in Government and International Relations.
During his college tenure, Srour founded and served as editor-in-chief of the College's first online daily newspaper, The DoG Street Journal. He also served as a two-year Chair of the College's Judicial Council and as a student director of the College's orientation program.
Upon graduation, Srour was awarded the James Monroe Prize for Civic Leadership and the inaugural William E. Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose. Using both awards, Srour started BT from an unused room in his parents’ house in fall 2005.
In 2007, BT was recognized as an up and coming social change organization by Echoing Green, an organization providing seed funding for social entrepreneurs. Srour was also named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful People in Indiana by Indianapolis Monthly.
Maggie Kirkpatrick, Assistant Director for Partnerships
Maggie Kirkpatrick, Assistant Director for Partnerships, is Building Tomorrow's newest full-time employee. Kirkpatrick attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. where she graduated in 2008 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Biomedical Engineering.
Kirkpatrick began working with U.Va.'s chapter of Building Tomorrow as Assistant Director in the fall of 2006. She also served on the executive board of Engineering Students without Borders and traveled to South Africa during summer 2007 to design and install a solar lighting system for a preschool in the Limpopo Province. She was also a moderator for Sustained Dialogue.
Kirkpatrick also co-founded the University of Virginia's Engineering & Community Engagement Program – a new academic program within U.Va.'s School of Engineering and Applied Science that allows students to gain critical domestic and international field experience through community partnerships.
Ashley Hardy, Multimedia and Creative Arts Intern
Ashley Hardy is a senior at Butler University (Indianapolis, IN) and is interning at the BT office in Indianapolis this fall.
