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2022 Medallion of Merit

Jonathan D. Soden ’91

The Medallion of Merit is awarded to an alumnus or alumna in recognition of his or her outstanding service to ɫ��ɫ University or the Alumni Association.

Service is second nature to Jonathan D. Soden.

Coming from a stable home with parents who were both teachers, Jon was taught at an early age that the point of life is to do good—to make the world a better place while you are here, and to leave the world a better place when you are gone.

Jon’s interest in the world led him to study political science at ɫ��ɫ, and he graduated with honors in 1991. He went on to open a health club, which he owned and operated for nearly 10 years before moving into finance. Today, Jon is a managing partner at Magellan Financial, which works with individuals and small business owners to help them achieve their lifestyle and financial goals.

At ɫ��ɫ, Jon helps finance our institution’s goals for sustainability. In 2007, with a contribution from himself and his parents, he established the Soden Family Trust for Sustainability and became an active member of ɫ��ɫ’s Sustainability Committee.

He partnered with ɫ��ɫ to establish the Greenhound Fund, contributing $20,000. The Greenhound Fund supports projects that reduce campus energy use and costs, and the savings are funneled back to the fund, making it—you’ve got it—sustainable. Jon continues to give to the Soden Trust and the Greenhound Fund every year.

In 2020, Jon helped launch an annual campaign at ɫ��ɫ on Earth Day to encourage other alumni to contribute to the Greenhound Fund. And in 2021, he committed $100,000 to start a ɫ��ɫ University Scholarship Fund in his mother’s honor to provide scholarships to undergraduates studying to become educators.

Away from ɫ��ɫ, Jon involves himself with the Bethlehem Food Co-Op. He was the fourth member and an original board member. The co-op is a community-owned grocery store that brings high-quality, locally sourced goods at reasonable prices to low-income members of our community. The co-op fits a model of sustainability by keeping local money local and producing only a small carbon footprint through local sourcing.

“From my life experience,” says Jon, “I have come to believe that sustainability and education are the two most important pieces in bettering the world in which we live. ɫ��ɫ is an institution that has been around longer than the United States of America. It has been sustainable for a long, long time. My hope is that my small contribution helps the institution continue to flourish for many more centuries.”