Philip J. Mizzi, Ph.D.

It's not uncommon to find Professor Mizzi serving a hot meal to a homeless family, mopping a floor, slicing vegetables or unloading a truck from a warehouse dock. As a role model to the Arizona State University students he teaches, he never asks anyone to take on a task he wouldn’t and probably hasn't done himself. He developed a community service component to learning for the School of Global Management at ASU and regularly speaks to MBA students and colleagues about the importance of volunteering to improve the community According to Stephen Zabilski, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul Diocese of Phoenix, Professor Mizzi is responsible for more young people volunteering than any other individual in their 55-year history. The estimate is about 2,000 students plus hundreds of their family and friends. In addition to St. Vincent de Paul, in 1997, Professor Mizzi developed Partners for Progress, made up of business, community and government leaders who partner to focus on social responsibility, welfare reform and juvenile justice. He was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Award and continues to mentors MBA and Global Business students who volunteer with Adopt-A-Street, American Cancer Society, Arizona Transplant House, Friends for Life Animal Sanctuary, Habitat for Humanity, Mesa Community Action Network, Mothers Against Gangs, and many more. Mizzi demonstrates leadership and social responsibility through his personal commitment to volunteerism.

According to Professor Mizzi, "In volunteering, our goal is simple: to make the situation in our community better. We do not try to make the world perfect, but just a little bit better."