SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 10

(By Senators Palumbo, Plymale and Beach)

Recognizing Jake Harriman, founder and CEO of Nuru International, a native of Preston County and proud West Virginian, and other West Virginia natives and former West Virginia University graduates who have helped Nuru International become an influential force in the fight against extreme poverty throughout the world.

            Whereas, Jake Harriman grew up in Preston County, West Virginia, near Terra Alta, and attended West Virginia University before enrolling in and graduating from the United States Naval Academy, and later served in the United States Marine Corps; and

            Whereas, Jake Harriman served in infantry and as a special operations platoon commander in Force Reconnaissance, receiving the Bronze Star for his actions in combat; and

            Whereas, Jake Harriman identified a connection between terrorism, insurgency and extreme poverty that led him to leave the Marine Corps and enroll at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business; and

            Whereas, Jake Harriman graduated from Stanford in 2008 and officially launched Nuru International in September, 2008, creating an innovative model for addressing extreme poverty in remote rural areas around the globe; and

            Whereas, Nuru International is a nonprofit organization with deep West Virginia roots that is having an incredible impact on poverty in Kenya and Ethiopia by working with extremely poor communities to train and empower them to become the answer to their own problems without giving any handouts; and

            Whereas, Nuru International has served more than 50,000 people in Kuria West, Kenya, and Boreda, Ethiopia, over the last six years through its innovative holistic, sustainable and scalable model to address global extreme poverty by building capacity with local leaders; and

            Whereas, Nuru International and Jake Harriman’s story has been featured in articles and interviews in the New York Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, ONE, Christian Science Monitor, ABC News, Fox Business, Al Jazeera America, BBC World Service and more; and

            Whereas, Four of Nuru International’s original five board of directors members were either West Virginia natives or graduates of West Virginia University, including Jake Harriman’s suite mate in Arnold Hall during freshman year at WVU; and

            Whereas, Nuru International’s board chairman, John Hancox, has family roots in Preston County, West Virginia, and is both a 1996 graduate from West Virginia University with a B. A. in Biology and a 2001 graduate from WVU School of Medicine; and

            Whereas, Nuru International board member Andy Cogar is originally from Gassaway, West Virginia, previously served as the Mountaineer from 1996-1998, graduated from WVU as a University Honors Scholar with a dual degree in Mathematics and Communications and later graduated from WVU School of Law; and

            Whereas, Nuru International’s Grassroots Movement Director and Director of Strategic Partnerships, Billy Williams, is a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, graduated in 1997 from West Virginia University as a University Honors Scholar with a dual degree in Chemistry and English and in 2007 earned a M. A. in English from WVU; and

            Whereas, Other West Virginia University graduates have served on the staff or board of Nuru, including Trey Dunham, an original board member; Janine Brown, a 2006 MPH graduate; Megan Baird, an international studies graduate; Derek Roberts, a 2008 accounting graduate and native of Mount Zion, West Virginia, in Calhoun County; Tiffany Newcomb, a 2006 engineering graduate and native of Beckley, West Virginia, in Raleigh County; and Chris Isele, a 2013 business administration graduate; and

            Whereas, Nuru International is an international organization with supporters in most of the fifty states, with more donors and a greater volume of donations coming from West Virginia annually than any other state, in part because of the great pride West Virginians have for seeing fellow Mountaineers doing good work in the world; therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate:

            That the Senate hereby recognizes Jake Harriman, founder and CEO of Nuru International, a native of Preston County and proud West Virginian, and other West Virginia natives and former West Virginia University graduates who have helped Nuru International become an influential force in the fight against extreme poverty throughout the world; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to Jake Harriman, John Hancox, Andy Cogar, Billy Williams and Nuru International.