List Detail
2026 Founders' Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to the Community
Twenty-five years after walking across the Lewis Family Auditorium stage at his own commencement, Matthew Beatty ’01 returned to Ransom Everglades to receive one of the institution’s highest honors. During the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2026 on May 22, Beatty was presented with the Founders’ Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to the Community, a recognition of a career defined by civic leadership, service and work that has elevated South Florida and its residents.
The Founders’ Award is given annually to an alum who has served the community with honor, courage and leadership. RE’s Chief Operating Officer David Clark ’86 presented the award to Beatty, currently the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Carrie Meek Foundation.
“Matthew reminds us that true success is measured not only by achievement, but by service and the positive impact we have on others,” Clark said. “His leadership and commitment to the community make all of us at Ransom Everglades incredibly proud.”
Throughout his distinguished career, Beatty has been an inspiring force in Miami's philanthropic landscape. During his tenure with The Miami Foundation, Beatty was instrumental in launching Give Miami Day, helping transform it from a "clunky little website" raising $1.2 million into a massive fundraising powerhouse that recently cleared $43 million in a single day. He also helped pioneer the State of Black Philanthropy initiative to address systemic inequities. More recently, at the Carrie Meek Foundation, Beatty championed the Meek Mobilized Grants program, which remarkably leveraged a $100,000 investment into $8 million in county funding, contributing to historic drops in homicides across Miami-Dade County's most underserved zip codes.
Taking the microphone, Beatty spoke with humility, noting that he was honored to join the ranks of recent service-minded award recipients including Joshua Williams ’18, Annie Lord ’97 and Meg Daly ’78. Standing before the Class of 2026, he echoed themes from an address he gave to the upper school student body in the spring, challenging the new graduates to embrace their roles as ethical leaders and "community architects."
Beatty encouraged the graduating seniors to remain anchored to the core values instilled in them during their time in Coconut Grove, saying, “Carry that torch so that this entire world can see the light that burns right here at Ransom Everglades.
He concluded by reminding them that they have the power to breathe life into a world that sometimes feels like it's on life support.
“You have got what it takes,” Beatty said. “You have the empathy, you have the intellect, and you’ve got the passion for hard work that it’s going to take to change the world.”
Middle School
2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 250 6850
Upper School
3575 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 460 8800
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Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. It is rated the top private school in Miami and among the 10 private schools in North America. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way®, RE Pathways® and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way®, RE Pathways® and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.