Gordon Receives Martin Luther King Jr. Award at Trevecca

In commemoration of Black History Month, Trevecca recognizes leaders throughout history who fought for justice and equality for all people. In that spirit, Dr. Iris Gordon was recently awarded Trevecca’s first Martin Luther Jr. Award by her faculty peers. The award is given to an individual who exemplifies King’s quest for improved human relations and civil rights.

The recognition, which took place in a chapel service that focused on Martin Luther King Jr., was presented to Gordon by Dr. Terrence Schofield, Trevecca’s associate provost for mission excellence and reconciliation. 

“I am in awe of God’s love and grace and righteousness and justice. So I live to know him and make him known,” Gordon said at the presentation. “I don’t do this alone and being the director of community engagement and strategic initiatives is really a collaboration of reaching, not just our campus but the world. This award is not the destination, it's just additional energy to keep going.” 

Gordon is the director of community engagement and strategic initiatives at Trevecca's J.V. Morsch Center for Social Justice. She is passionate about educating, equipping, empowering and connecting individuals and organizations to strategically develop and leverage their abilities to address social and economic injustices. Gordon utilizes her role at Trevecca to activate and advance connections that can foster the flourishing of the school’s neighbors and neighborhood. While at Trevecca, she has launched the following initiatives that bridge the campus to the community: The Neighborhood Empowerment Program, Social Business Laboratory, Youth About Change, Love Thy Neighborhood Collective and the Breaking the Stigma Mental Health Conference.