ASU music professor receives Spirit of Philanthropy Award for Habitat for Humanity work

Jere Humphreys, professor of music education in Arizona State University's School of Music, received a Spirit of Philanthropy Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Arizona Chapter on Nov. 7, 2018, during the 34th Annual Celebration of Philanthropy in Phoenix. Humphreys was nominated for his work with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona.

Humphreys has been the faculty adviser for the ASU Habitat for Humanity Club (formerly chapter) for 20 of his 31 years at ASU. For 21 of those years, he has served as a volunteer construction House Leader for Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona and elsewhere. Humphreys and his son David, an ASU alum, are currently leading his 41st build in Surprise, Arizona.

He has also led Habitat builds with Jimmy Carter Work Projects, including a rehabilitation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast as part of Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. In 2004, he co-founded Habitat for Humanity Macedonia with HFH International founder Millard Fuller. Humphreys continues his work as a fundraising member of the board of directors.

An internationally-known researcher who has presented keynote speeches and taught in dozens of countries on six continents, Humphreys is a three-time Fulbright award grantee, an academic specialist for the U.S. Department of State and a member of the senior editorial board for the Grove Dictionary of American Music (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press. He has received several research awards, including the Senior Researcher Award from the National Association for Music Education, the highest lifetime research award in his field.