Dr. Bernard Turner Receives Sullivan Foundation Engaged Faculty Award

Turner recognized for nearly a decade of work connecting students with the  Sullivan Foundation’s leadership development and social entrepreneurship opportunities 

Dr. Bernard Turner, associate professor of social entrepreneurship and director of Belmont’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship, received the Engaged Faculty Award from the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation at a showcase to celebrate its centennial anniversary, April 11.  

The Sullivan Foundation promotes service through partnerships with colleges and universities in the South, offering scholarships and awards to students who make service a cornerstone of their college experience. 

Along with honoring students, the Foundation celebrates university educators with the Sullivan Engaged Faculty Award. This award honors a faculty member from a partner school who has gone above and beyond to bring Sullivan programming to their students and who has shown continued commitment to the Sullivan Foundation partnership on their campus.  

Building a Partnership 

Turner’s journey with the Sullivan Foundation began nearly a decade ago when he attended the organization’s biannual Ignite Retreat in North Carolina along with a few Belmont social entrepreneurship students. Upon returning home, he began working to involve more Nashville-area students.  

“He’s played a crucial role in reestablishing the award on campus, as well as bringing Sullivan's partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to light when he organized the Sullivan Fellowship partnership with Belmont and Fisk University,” said Courtney Carlton, alumni engagement specialist for the Sullivan Foundation. “We are proud to now call Belmont and Fisk University partner schools.” 

Turner’s efforts have helped grow yearly retreat attendance from a modest few to dozens of students and faculty members from both Fisk and Belmont. 

For his longstanding commitment to connecting students with the Sullivan Foundation, Turner has been named the 2025 Sullivan Engaged Faculty Award recipient. As a result of his leadership, Belmont has presented two Sullivan Awards to Belmont students each year since 2023. Most recently, the student awards were given to David Richardson and Annalise Mitchell at the 2025 Scholarship and Awards Day ceremony.  

Collaboration Across Nashville

Turner also bridged the connection between Fisk and Sullivan while on the team that created the Fisk-Belmont Social justice Collaborative. After being chosen to represent Belmont while establishing the partnership alongside Dr. Sybril Brown and Dr. Dennis Chen in 2022, Turner suggested that Fisk and Belmont students go to the Sullivan Foundation’s spring retreat together. From there, the two organizations began working together, and Fisk will be recognized as an official partner school alongside Belmont at the 2025 gala.  

Turner’s goal is to bring even more collaborations between the three institutions and highlight the service students are doing throughout Nashville. “It’s really interesting what our students are doing beyond the classroom,” he said. “And we often have no idea until we read the Sullivan Award nominations and Sullivan fellows applications. The Sullivan Foundation has just been a catalyst for us.” 

In Turner’s opinion, Belmont’s dedication to community service on all levels makes the University partnership with the Sullivan Foundation a great match.  

“They are good partners for us,” he said. “There is a perfect alignment between what they seek to do, what we’re doing and what President Jones wants us to pursue as a university.” 

Belmont Celebrated Throughout the Night

Turner wasn’t the only member of the Belmont community recognized at the celebration. English and Global Honors professor Dr. Heather Finch was recognized as a regional service award recipient for the inspiration she has brought her students through courses in BIPOC representation in film and literature, social justice, the African diaspora and more.  

Senior international business major Kam’Ron Young also spoke at the celebration, highlighting the experiences he has gained through the foundation. “That first retreat gave me something I didn’t even know I was missing: people who get it,” he said. “People who see entrepreneurship as a way to serve. Especially in the fashion space, where so many people just see it as clothes. But for me, it’s not just about clothes. It’s about stories—the stories we tell through them. It’s about empowering others, especially those whose voices are often overlooked.” 

New Recognition, Same Motivation

Belmont will become the Sullivan Foundation’s 71st collegiate partner. Thanks to Turner, there are now four ways Belmont students can get involved with the Sullivan Foundation: attending the Ignite Retreat, joining the Sullivan Fellows program, receiving awards and a new partnership — still under development — with Belmont’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship.  

 For Turner, receiving the Sullivan Engaged Faculty Award is a victory for Belmont more than anything else.  

“Anytime I get recognized, it’s about Belmont,” he said. “If it wasn't for the students, I wouldn't have a job. We're here to serve students and to be role models for them.”