Daniel Mullins '97, '98 M.A., '06 J.D.

Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.) Award 2009

EASTCONN
Regional Education Service Center Resource Specialist

Nominated By: Meghan Ruta

Daniel is being recognized for his extensive contributions to the revitalization of Eastern Connecticut as well as his efforts to improve the education of potentially disadvantaged populations in Connecticut and nationwide. In 2002 he founded the Willimantic Whitewater Partnership (WWP) and set out on the arduous task of returning the Willimantic River to its original conditions and restoring the environmental degradations that had occurred. He fundraises, writes grants, coordinates cleanups, and urges community members from various interest groups to join him in achieving this vision - successfully empowering residents to improve their local economy. Along with his dedication to the WWP and the restoration of the river system, Dan has worked for the UConn Office of Environmental Policy as an environmental intern and currently volunteers for the Joshua's Trust, a well known and highly respected regional land conservation trust, as a member of the Board of Trustees.

In addition to his dedication to economic and environmental improvement, Dan is also committed to bettering society through education. As an educator with EASTCONN he has been tirelessly working to organize science-based learning opportunities for students and after-school programs for predominantly Hispanic and Latino children in grades K-8. He also spent two years working as a middle and high school teacher in an Inupiaq Eskimo Village in Alaska, and spent over fifteen years working for the Department of Developmental Services.

"He is not a person often caught by the spotlight – he is usually too busy volunteering to have the time. Dan has not cured cancer, won a Nobel Prize, or saved a foreign village from catastrophe, but he has worked each and every day of his life tirelessly, to improve all aspects of his local community - of the UConn local community - a community that is very much in need of alumni as dedicated as Daniel Mullins." - Meghan Ruta