Timothy Q. Boles

Hello, my name is Chris Leupold, and I am the Isabella Cannon Professor of Leadership and Professor of Psychology at Elon University. I am also the Coordinator of the Leadership Studies minor, and it is my privilege today to award Tim Boles the Leadership Studies Award for 2019-2020.

Professors Robert Moorman and Erika Lopina gave me words to say which I want to go ahead and read now in support of Tim.

From Professor Moorman – “Tim deserves this award because he stood out as both a student of leadership and as an important leader himself. He excelled academically and brought much to his leadership classes. However, he also recognized that leadership is a practical process best learned by serving others. For example, he is currently the gender-based violence prevention coordinator at Elon, where he created and facilitated the Men’s Leadership for Gender Equity Conference. He also served as a marketing consultant for the Leadership Prize, which supports student leaders both to learn deeply about an issue and then implement plans to address it.”

From Professor Erika Lopina – “Tim is an extremely high performing student in my Psychology of Leadership class, and demonstrated great creativity in applying leadership theories. He was never satisfied to accept theories at face value, but rather sought to challenge and critique theories especially in light of his own experiences and other coursework. Tim also showed leadership in the classroom by contributing to class discussions through interactive dialogue with his peers. His passion for social justice was particularly apparent during discussions of leadership through an intersectional lens. In this unit, Tim challenged his peers’ understanding and pushed them to consider identity in ways that some  had previously not considered. Interpersonally, Tim is an absolute delight. His smile lights up a room and his laugh is contagious. He treats everyone with respect. He has a quiet strength – it doesn’t overpower the room. When he speaks, others listen. He has incredibly expressive eyes that can ask questions without words. I recall many instances of stopping mid-sentence because Tim’s eyes told me that I need to unpack or challenge a concept.”

Tim, thank you for your exceptional contributions to Elon’s Leadership Studies Program. Congratulations on this award and best wishes in all your future endeavors.

Hi friends! My name is Becca Bishopric Patterson, I use she/hers pronouns and I am the Assistant Director for the Gender & LGBTQIA Center at Elon (lovingly referred to as the GLC). Today I am here on behalf of the Women’s, Gender and Sexualities Studies Program to honor one of our two recipients for the 2020 Martha Smith Award for Outstanding WGSS Minor, Tim Boles.

Tim is a Human Service Studies major and Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow from Wayne, IL with minors in Leadership Studies and WGSS. Tim is an outstanding student leader within gender and sexualities justice work on campus. His faculty praise his thoughtful inquiry and application of WGSS concepts. He has assisted with programs like Intersect – Elon’s premier diversity & leadership conference – and he has served on the Gender Violence Prevention team. During Tim’s time in the GLC, I have seen him utilize his knowledge and skills from WGSS coursework to inform the programs and conversations he leads on anti-violence, inclusion and allyship. This year, for his Leadership Fellow’s Common Good Project, Tim worked with the GLC, WGSS, SGA and IFC to initiate the inaugural “Men’s Leadership for Gender Equity Conference.” On March 1st, over 500 male students attended the keynote and more than 100 participated in breakout sessions on healthy masculinity, positive relationships and allyship. Tim truly lives out the values of WGSS.

Tim is both easygoing and determined, full of humor and thoughtful; and he has been a mentor to so many of his peers during his time at Elon. Tim, congratulations, I am so proud of you and can’t wait to see the impact you have on our world!