Hartsville’s Harriot honored as 2009 Purpose Prize Fellow

Hartsville’s Jannie Harriot has been named a 2009 Purpose Prize fellow, an honor for social entrepreneurs older than 60 who are using their experience and passion to take on society’s biggest challenges. Now in its fourth year, the six-year, $17 million program is the nation’s only large-scale investment in social innovators in the second half of life.

Harriot, vice chairwoman of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission, was named a Fellow for her leadership of the Commission over the past 16 years. The South Carolina African American Heritage Commission was created in 1993 by the state General Assembly for the identification and preservation of African-American history and culture. Harriot was appointed in 1993 by then-Gov. Carroll Campbell. She served as vice chairwoman from 1999 to 2003 and chairwoman from 2003 to 2009.  During her tenure as chairwoman, she was instrumental in the development of expanding the Commission’s work throughout South Carolina.

Harriot will join 46 other Purpose Prize Fellows at a Summit on Innovation on Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business’ Center on Social Innovation, one of the world’s leading academic centers focused on social entrepreneurship.

The fellows underscore a trend in entrepreneurialism later in life. According to studies by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the 55-64 age group is the most active in creating new ventures. Counter to stereotype, people ages 20-34, the study found, are the least entrepreneurial.

“I am honored to have been nominated and selected for this honor,” Harriot said.

The Purpose Prize supports Fellows by helping develop their capacity, linking them with funders and venture philanthropists and connecting them to other social innovators over 60. It is part of the Encore Careers campaign run by Civic Ventures, a national think tank on boomers, work and social purpose. Funding for The Purpose Prize comes from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation.

Sherry Lansing, CEO of the Sherry Lansing Foundation and former chairwoman of Paramount Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, serves as chairwoman of the jury that selected this year’s winners. The 24 judges are leaders in business, politics, journalism and the nonprofit sector – including actor Sidney Poitier, social entrepreneur Thomas Tierney, former Senator Harris Wofford and journalist Cokie Roberts.

The Purpose Prize is a program of the Encore Careers campaign (http://www.encore.org), which aims to engage millions of boomers in encore careers combining social impact, personal meaning and continued income in the second half of life. The goal is produce a windfall of human talent to solve society’s greatest problems, from education to the environment, health care to homelessness.

For more information, visit http://www.encore.org.