This Pitt-Greensburg alumnus turns generosity into a way of life

Pitt-Greensburg's 2025 Alumnus of Distinction, Jamal Woodson, has turned generosity into a way of life. Through his Giveback King Initiative, over Thanksgiving, he bought and gave away hundreds of turkeys - no sponsors, just heart.

He's been known to hand out $100 bills to waiters and buy groceries for an entire store of shoppers. He once surprised a teacher with $1,000 during a school assembly.

A few years ago, he supported a once-unhoused single mother for a year, earning an appearance on the "Tamron Hall" talk show. Beyond his charitable acts, he mentors teens through the CNX Mentorship Academy and Students Learning Athletics and Academics through Mentoring (SLAAM), helping hundreds of youths earn college opportunities.

Through his programs and personal donations, Woodson, an entrepreneur, estimated he's touched more than 2,000 lives across Western Pennsylvania.

So, what drives him?

"There were times I struggled," says Woodson (UPG '02), a former music promoter. "I promised myself that when I got back on my feet, I'd do all I could to help as many people as possible."