Founder's Day Keynote Address

Note: Current forecasts predict rain and chilly weather. For the comfort of all in attendance, the ceremony and activities will take place under a large, heated tent.

To commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday (known locally as Founder’s Day) the University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello join together to present the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals to recognize achievements of those who embrace endeavors in which Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and third U.S. president, excelled and held in high regard. These medals are the highest external honors bestowed by the University of Virginia, which grants no honorary degrees.

This year, we are excited to welcome Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, as the 2025 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Citizen Leadership and keynote speaker.

Make sure to stop by our Community Partner Tent to pick up a cupcake, enjoy family-friendly activities, take in a Meet Thomas Jefferson program, and see local organizations showcasing their important work in our community. 

Unable to join us in person? This presentation will be livestreamed on our here, and on our Facebook and YouTube channels.

---

About the Speaker

Bryan Stevenson is the 2025 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Citizen Leadership. Mr. Stevenson is a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned.

Mr. Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Mr. Stevenson has argued and won multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court, including a 2019 ruling protecting condemned prisoners who suffer from dementia and a landmark 2012 ruling that banned mandatory life-imprisonment-without-parole sentences for all children 17 or younger. Mr. Stevenson and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release from prison for over 140 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.

Mr. Stevenson has initiated major new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination efforts that challenge inequality in America. He led the creation of EJI’s highly acclaimed Legacy Sites, including the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. These new national landmark institutions chronicle the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, and the connection to mass incarceration and contemporary issues of racial bias.

---

About the Citizen Service Award Recipient

Martize Tolbert is the National Director of Client and Community Engagement at The Fountain Fund. In this role, he serves as the agency’s lead spokesperson, expanding and establishing its presence in communities nationwide. By building bridges between Client Partners, team members and a wide array of reentry organizations, he helps ensure that justice-impacted individuals get the resources they need.

Martize has been a community leader for over a decade. In February 2025, Albemarle Magazine recognized him as one of Charlottesville’s 10 celebrated “changemakers,” and in October 2024, he shared his life story as a visionary speaker at Disrupt HR. He holds leadership roles with the Network2Work Advisory Committee, Charlottesville Area Justice Coalition, and the Charlottesville/Albemarle Reentry Council Steering Committee. His work with the Reentry Council led to the creation of a One Stop Shop, a monthly event which offers individuals in and around Charlottesville the opportunity to connect with 60+ agencies in a single location. Martize also mentors at-risk kids and works closely with the Readykids RealDads program. He is a member of the NAACP, serves on the Tom Tom Festival Board of Directors and is a member of the Catalyst Community with the Stand Together Foundation. Through Home to Hope and Piedmont Virginia Community College, Martize received certifications as a Peer Support Specialist, a WRAP Facilitator and in Motivational Interviewing. In 2021, Martize graduated from UVA Edge, a one-year education program for working adults at the University of Virginia.

The Fountain Fund

Founded in 2017, the Fountain Fund provides low-interest loans and financial coaching, helping formerly incarcerated people build credit and achieve their self-determined goals. These goals often include securing transportation, affordable housing, and employment; building their own businesses; getting their driver’s licenses reinstated; and paying court-imposed fines and fees. As of 2025, lending and credit-building activities are offered in Charlottesville and Richmond, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; and New Orleans, LA. Repaid loans are recycled back into the community to support the economic improvement of other formerly incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities.

---

Throughout the weekend join us in the Community Partner Tent on the West Lawn!

• Talk with our community partners, on hand to showcase their vital work in the community. 
  • Friday, April 11: 9am – 12pm
  • Saturday, April 12: 9am – 4pm
  • Sunday, April 13: 12pm – 4pm
• Meet Thomas Jefferson, as portrayed by veteran historical actor-interpreter Bill Barker, during an expanded performance schedule in the tent. Guests can hear from Jefferson, ask him questions about his life, wish him a happy birthday, and take photos.
  Appearance Times:
  • Friday, April 11: 11am – 12pm
  • Saturday, April 12: 10 – 10:30am; 11 - 11:30am; 12- 12:30pm
  • Sunday, April 13: 12 – 12:30pm; 1 – 1:30pm; 2 – 2:30 pm; 3 – 3:30 pm
• Visit the Mountaintop Activity Center, where kids can enjoy fun, hands-on activities like writing with a quill or cracking a cypher code.
  • Friday, April 11: 10am – 4pm
  • Saturday, April 12: 10am – 4pm
  • Sunday, April 13: 11am– 4pm
• Stop by the Monticello Pop-up Shop, and peruse a curated selection of Monticello-grown products, books, décor, and other specialty items.

Meet the organizations making a difference in our community