Alumnus Receives President’s Volunteer Service Award

Joseph Ferris (’04, B.S. Information Studies), a former FSU School of Information adjunct professor and Lead Security Architect at AT&T, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) in honor of his volunteerism in the local Tallahassee community.

“Coaching and mentoring are my way to give back to the community and honor the people who had a positive impact on me and my family over the years,” Ferris said. “I believe the way to a better future is to give back, inspire and help others along the way.”

Ferris is a Tallahassee native and taught information security at the School of Information as an adjunct professor from 2008 to 2011. He also worked extensively on IT Security programs with the FSU Information Technology Services, serving as Assistant Director of Information Security and Network Security Engineer on the IT Security Team.

His service through volunteering at Deerlake Middle School and Chiles High School earned Ferris this prestigious PVSA honor. Continue reading for the full press release on this incredible accomplishment.

Tallahassee AT&T Employee Honored for Community Service with President’s Volunteer Service Award

155 AT&T Employees Statewide Receive Prestigious PVSA

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 21, 2019 – AT&T is proud to celebrate a Tallahassee employee being honored with the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA). This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a commitment to volunteerism throughout the year.

Joseph Ferris, a Tallahassee native and FSU graduate, is among 155 AT&T employees statewide and 4,149 AT&T employees nationwide to receive this honor. They logged a minimum of 100 service hours last year, with many volunteering more than 500 hours.

Ferris volunteers his time as a coach and mentor for the Deerlake Middle School girls soccer team, which has won the 2A district 3 times in the past 6 years. He also mentors at the CyberPatriots program at Chiles High School. The program was created to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) disciplines.

“Coaching and mentoring are my way to give back to the community and honor the people who had a positive impact on me and my family over the years,” said Ferris. “I believe the way to a better future is to give back, inspire and help others along the way.”

Community service has been an integral part of our company culture for more than 100 years and takes many forms. Our employees help feed the poor, protect the vulnerable, mentor students, and serve veterans, among many other causes.

“Our employee’s tremendous spirit of service is part of the fabric of our company.  Their selfless contributions make our communities and our company stronger,” said Joe York, president, AT&T Florida.  “We congratulate this year’s AT&T PVSA winners here in Florida and across the company, and we thank them for sharing.

Nationwide, our employees volunteered more than 1.5 million hours of time in community outreach activities during 2018 — worth more than $37 million. Click here to learn more about AT&T’s mentoring and volunteering programs.

 

For more information, contact:

Kelly Starling

AT&T Corporate Communications

Phone: 561-301-1414

Email: kelly.starling@att.com