Sam Beard (born 1939) is a

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of ...

, and public servant. With Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and

Robert Taft Jr. Robert Alphonso Taft Jr. (February 26, 1917 – December 7, 1993) was an American politician. He was a member of the Taft political family who served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio between 1963 and 1965, as well as between 1967 and 1971 ...

, Sam created and Co-Chaired the Jefferson Awards, an American Nobel Prize for public service and youth leadership training. The Jefferson Awards has since been re-branded to Multiplying Good, and impacts one million students a year.

Early life and education

Beard was raised in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and graduated with a BA from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1961, an MA from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1965, and attended

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (Stanford Law or SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Stanford La ...

from 1962-1963. Sam began his career working with U.S. Senator

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a low-income community in Brooklyn, New York focusing on social justice and the elimination of poverty.

Career

In 1969 after the assassination of Senator Kennedy, Beard founded the National Development Council. The council has since been responsible for billions of dollars of revitalization financing. Beard has initiated and chaired programs for eight

Presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

, including Presidents Nixon, Gerald Ford,

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

, Ronald Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush. One highlight of working with the eight presidents is the creation of more than 10 million jobs in impoverished communities across America. Beard ran in the Democratic primary for the 1988 U.S. Senate election in Delaware. In 1992, he helped to create the President's Youth Service Awards for volunteerism. Beard also worked with former Delaware Governor

Pete du Pont Pierre Samuel "Pete" du Pont IV (January 22, 1935 – May 8, 2021) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Rockland, in New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. He was the United States representative for Delaware from ...

and Wilmington Mayor, Bill McLaughlin to revitalize the Wilmington,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

riverfront. He also served on President George W. Bush's

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

Reform Commission. Recently, Beard founded the non-profit organization GIFT (Global Investment Foundation for Tomorrow) to harness the full impact of the mindfulness and meditation movements to solve urgent global problems. The inspiration for GIFT came out of his experience in using mindfulness and meditation techniques to deal with a high stress period. Beard was excited at the far-reaching impact it had in improving all aspects of his life. This interest soon grew into a mission Sam predicts will be the most significant outcome in his life of service.

Personal life

Sam is married to Joan Beard, and has three children. Alex Beard is an artist in New Orleans, Hillary Schafer runs Multiplying Good in New York City, and Morgan Beard is a Life Coach in Los Angeles. Sam also has five grandchildren.

References

External links

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Multiplying GoodGIFT
Delaware Democrats 1939 births Living people Columbia University alumni Yale University alumni {{US-activist-stub